Is ETIAS live yet? No.
Nobody can apply for an ETIAS today — the EU portal is not open. Any website taking ETIAS payments right now is charging for a document that does not yet exist.
The timeline, from the source
The European Commission has confirmed ETIAS launches in the last quarter of 2026 (October–December). The exact date gets announced several months ahead. After launch there's a transitional period of about six months, so ETIAS becomes mandatory around April 2027, with strict enforcement — no ETIAS, no boarding — from around October 2027.
Verify every line at the source → travel-europe.europa.eu/etias. If anything here ever contradicts the Commission, the Commission is right.
What that means for your trip
Travelling to Europe before the mandatory date? Nothing changes — go as normal. The one genuinely useful thing you can do now is check your passport is valid for at least three months beyond your planned departure from Europe, because that's a published ETIAS requirement and passport renewals are slower than an ETIAS will be.
Get told the day the portal opens
One email when ETIAS goes live. One when it becomes mandatory. Nothing else — no drip campaign.
Join the free waitlist