Entry rules checker: ETIAS, EES, UK ETA and ESTA

How the checker works

Pick your passport and where you are going. The checker shows what you need to apply for, the official price, the only official place to apply and what happens at the border. With travel dates it tells you the last day to apply and whether your passport is valid long enough. Two passports? Add both, and it picks the better one for each destination. Everything runs on your phone: nothing you enter is saved or sent.

Travel authorisations at a glance

Each one ends earlier if your passport expires first, and each one is per person, babies included.

EES at the Schengen border

The Entry/Exit System replaced passport stamps. It started on 12 October 2025 and has run at every border of the 29 Schengen countries since 10 April 2026.

• Who: everyone on a short stay without an EU, EEA or Swiss passport, for example British, American, Canadian or Australian travellers. People with a residence permit or a long-stay visa of a Schengen country do not register.
• The first time: your passport is scanned, and your fingerprints and a photo are taken at a kiosk or by a border guard. Children aged 11 or younger only give a photo.
• After that: a quick face or fingerprint check when you enter and leave. EES records every crossing, so it counts your 90 days by itself.
• Cost: free.
• Queues: allow extra time. Since 6 September 2026, busy crossings may no longer pause the checks.
• From the UK: at Dover, at Eurotunnel in Folkestone and on Eurostar from London St Pancras, the check happens before you leave the UK.
• In advance: where it is available, the EU’s Travel to Europe app lets you enter some data before you reach the border.
• Not in EES: Cyprus and Ireland.

ETIAS: not yet

On 13 October 2026, ETIAS has not started. The European Commission says it is not in operation and collects no applications, and that it will announce the start date several months ahead. So any site that takes an ETIAS application or payment today is not official.

Once it starts, visitors from about 59 visa-free countries, such as the UK, the USA, Canada and Australia, will apply online before travelling to 30 countries: the 29 Schengen countries and Cyprus. It will cost €20, free for anyone under 18 or over 70, and last 3 years or until the passport expires. Most answers should come at once, a few can take up to 30 days. For at least six months it will be optional, then a grace period of at least six months follows.

Timeline

• 12 September 2018: the EU adopts the ETIAS law. The first planned start, in 2021, has been postponed again and again since.
• 12 October 2025: EES starts, border by border.
• 10 April 2026: EES runs at every Schengen border.
• July 2026: press reports expect ETIAS in 2027.
• By September 2026: the official ETIAS site drops its window of the last quarter of 2026 and shows no date.
• 17 to 19 November 2026: next public board meeting of eu-LISA, the EU agency that runs the system.

UK ETA

• Who: visitors who do not need a UK visa, from Europe, the USA, Canada, Australia and many other countries. EU citizens since 2 April 2025. Not British or Irish citizens.
• Price and validity: £20 since 8 April 2026. It lasts 2 years or until your passport expires, for visits of up to 6 months each.
• Where: in the UK ETA app or on GOV.UK. The decision usually comes by email within a day, at most 3 working days. No refund once you have applied.
• Every person: babies and children need their own ETA.
• Changing planes: no ETA if you stay airside, without passing UK border control. If you go through border control, you need one.
• Northern Ireland: it is part of the UK. Coming from Dublin by bus, train or car, you need the ETA too, unless you live in Ireland.
• ID cards: EU, EEA and Swiss ID cards are not accepted, except for people with EU Settlement Scheme status, a frontier worker permit or a similar UK permit. Take your passport.
• Dual citizens: if you are also British or Irish, you cannot get an ETA. Travel on your British or Irish passport.

USA: ESTA

• Who: citizens of the 42 Visa Waiver Program countries, including the UK, Switzerland and most EU countries. Bulgaria, Cyprus and Romania are not in the programme, so their citizens need a visa. Canadians need neither.
• Price: US$40.27, and US$40.62 for applications from 16 October 2026. If you are refused, you still pay US$10.27 (US$10.62 from 16 October).
• Where: only at esta.cbp.dhs.gov, at least 72 hours before you fly. Most answers come within seconds.
• Valid: 2 years or until your passport expires, for visits of up to 90 days. You need an e-passport, with the chip symbol on the cover.
• Selfie: CBP now requires a selfie photo in the ESTA. If yours was made without one, you may need a new ESTA, so check your ESTA account before you fly.
• Not eligible: after a visit to Cuba since 12 January 2021, or to Iran, Iraq, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Sudan, Syria or Yemen since 1 March 2011, or as a dual citizen of Cuba, Iran, Iraq, North Korea, Sudan or Syria. Then you need a visa.

Canada: eTA

• Who: visa-free visitors who fly to Canada or change planes there, such as European, British, Australian or Japanese travellers. US citizens need no eTA. Romanian citizens need an electronic passport, Israeli citizens a national passport and Taiwanese citizens an ordinary passport with their personal ID number.
• Price: CA$7 on canada.ca, one person per application.
• Answer: most within minutes. If Canada needs documents, you get an email within 72 hours.
• Valid: up to 5 years or until your passport expires.
• By land or sea: no eTA by car, bus, train or boat, just a valid passport.
• Dual citizens: most dual Canadian citizens need a Canadian passport to fly to Canada.

Cyprus and Ireland

Both are in the EU but not in the Schengen area.

• Cyprus does not use EES yet: visitors get a passport stamp, so make sure you get it. Days in Cyprus count separately from the Schengen area, 90 in any 180. ETIAS will apply to Cyprus too. Entering through the north, for example at Ercan airport, counts as illegal entry for the Republic of Cyprus.
• Ireland has its own rules, outside EES and ETIAS, and days there do not count for the Schengen area. If you go on to Northern Ireland, you are in the UK.

The 90/180 rule, simply

Visitors without an EU, EEA or Swiss passport may spend at most 90 days in any 180-day period in the Schengen area. For every day of a stay, look back 180 days: your days in the area in that window must not add up to more than 90.

• The day you arrive and the day you leave both count.
• All 29 countries count together, Bulgaria and Romania included.
• Days in Cyprus, Ireland and the UK do not count.
• Days with a residence permit or a long-stay visa of a Schengen country do not count.
• Old bilateral agreements give some passports, for example Australian and New Zealand ones, extra time in some countries. Ask that country’s embassy before you rely on it.

Example: you spent 1 to 30 June 2026 in Italy (30 days) and 15 July to 13 August 2026 in Spain (30 days). On 20 October 2026 the window reaches back to 24 April 2026, so you have used 60 days and have 30 left. The day counter above does this for you, and the EU has its own short-stay calculator.

How to spot a fake site

Look-alike sites are a big business: in 2024 the EU border agency Frontex counted more than 100 unofficial ETIAS sites, for a system that did not even exist yet. They imitate government sites, buy the top ads in search results and charge several times the fee.

1. Read the end of the address, just before the first slash. gov.uk/eta is official. gov.uk.something.com belongs to something.com.
2. Skip the ads. The first results in a search are often paid ads from agencies.
3. Check the price. UK ETA £20, ESTA about US$40, eTA CA$7, EES free. ETIAS cannot be bought at all yet. A service fee on top means an agency.
4. No faster lane. GOV.UK says no other website or app can get you a faster decision.
5. Check who publishes an app before you download it.

Quick answers

Do I need ETIAS now?

No. ETIAS has not started and nobody can apply yet. Until it starts, visitors who need no visa only register in EES at the border, for free.

When will ETIAS start?

There is no official date. Press reports point to 2027, and the EU will announce the date several months ahead. The first six months or more will be optional.

Is EES the same as ETIAS?

No. EES is the free registration of your fingerprints and photo at the border, running since 2025. ETIAS is an online authorisation you will need before you travel, once it starts.

Do EU citizens need a UK ETA?

Yes, since 2 April 2025, except Irish citizens. It costs £20, and you need a passport too, because ID cards are not accepted for most visitors.

Do children and babies need one?

Yes. Every traveller needs their own UK ETA, ESTA or eTA. ETIAS will be free for anyone under 18, and EES only takes a photo of children aged 11 or younger.

I am only changing planes. Do I need anything?

UK: not if you stay airside. USA: yes, an ESTA or a visa. Canada: yes, an eTA. Schengen area: not if you stay in the transit area, but if your next flight goes to another Schengen country, you enter at the first airport.

How long does the UK ETA take?

Usually within a day, at most 3 working days. Do not travel before you have it.

How much is the ESTA?

US$40.27 until 15 October 2026 and US$40.62 from 16 October 2026, paid only at esta.cbp.dhs.gov.

Does the 90/180 rule apply to British travellers?

Yes. Since Brexit, British citizens are visitors in the Schengen area: 90 days in any 180, EES at the border and ETIAS once it starts.

Is my passport valid long enough?

For the Schengen area and Cyprus it must have been issued less than 10 years before the day you arrive, and be valid for at least 3 months after the day you leave. The UK, the USA and Canada want it valid for your whole stay. Enter your dates in the checker to test it.

I paid an agency. Is my authorisation valid?

Maybe: some agencies submit the real application and keep the difference. If you never got a confirmation from the official system, apply on the official site, and ask your bank whether you can dispute the payment.

Do I need ETIAS for Switzerland?

Swiss citizens do not. Visa-free visitors to Switzerland, for example from the UK or the USA, will need it once ETIAS starts, because Switzerland is in the Schengen area. Switzerland also uses EES.

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Sources

Checked on 13 October 2026.

• European Commission: ETIAS, Entry/Exit System, short-stay calculator, visa policy
• EU travel portal: ETIAS, EES
• GOV.UK: Electronic travel authorisation (updated 18 September 2026), when you do not need an ETA, visiting the UK as an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen (updated 15 May 2026), travel advice for France, Cyprus, the USA and Canada (updated 30 September to 7 October 2026)
• U.S. Department of State: Visa Waiver Program, visitor visa
• Federal Register, 1 October 2026: ESTA fees for fiscal year 2027
• Government of Canada: eTA, visa or eTA by country
• Frontex, 22 June 2024: unofficial ETIAS websites
• Press: Newland Chase (9 September 2026), AFAR (July 2026)
• Background, cross-checked with the sources above: Wikipedia on ETIAS, EES, ESTA, the UK ETA, Canada’s visa policy and Schengen visa policy
• Exchange rates: ECB reference rates of 12 October 2026

General information, not legal advice. Rules can change at short notice, and the border officer decides whether you may enter. Check the official site before you travel.

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