THE EU’s new European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) will be pushed back until 2027 in good news for British tourists heading to Spain this summer.

The ETIAS scheme follows the United States’ ESTA model and will see travellers apply for a process that requires a €20 fee, except in some specific cases. 

This authorisation enables a short stay of up to 90 days in 30 European countries, but it does not guarantee entry by itself – border control will still check tourists’ passports and requirements when they arrive at their destinations. 

READ MORE: Airlines demand Brussels ‘pause’ EES and warn of five-hour border queues for holidaymakers coming to Spain this summer

The agency in charge of rolling out ETIAS, EU-Lisa, has agreed that ‘launching in 2026 as planned is no longer feasible’ due to ‘technical glitches’ and ‘slow developments’, according to the Financial Times.

Even when ETIAS is rolled out, a six month transition period will take place.

During this period, travellers should apply for the authorisation, but those without it will not necessarily be denied entrance.

The European Commission will be in charge of setting a new date for ETIAS, although their webpage still indicates that the programme will start in the last quarter of this year. 

READ MORE: These are the worst airports in Spain for EES border delays, according to Ryanair

As they indicate online, the ETIAS is linked to a traveller’s passport, so if you change passports you need a new authorisation.  

It is valid for up to three years or until the passport expires, whichever comes first.

They say their goal is to strengthen security and optimise border management – hence the prioritisation of fully developing an effective Entry/Exit System (EES).

READ MORE: Brussels rules out suspending new EES border controls at Spain’s airports – and blames local management for bottlenecks

The controversial EES is currently causing large border queues at airports across the EU, with airlines and tourism bosses warning of five-hour waits at peak times this summer.

Aviation experts say the EES is ‘exceeding border control capacities’ and has ‘reached a critical point’, and see no benefit in launching a separate scheme that may lead to a larger collapse in airports all over the world. 

EES experts have admitted that the system is ‘not perfect’, but a full suspension is ‘not needed’ and ‘not possible’, according to the Financial Times.

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