ETIAS Eligibility Checker 2026
Select your passport nationality for an instant verdict: ETIAS, Schengen visa, or exempt. Free checker with EUR 20 fee facts and honest 2027 launch status.
Your next steps
Guidance for planning only, based on the EU visa-exempt list (59 nationalities), the EUR 20 fee regulation and the official position that ETIAS is not operational. Always verify before travel at travel-europe.europa.eu/etias.
ETIAS Checker: Three Possible Answers
This ETIAS eligibility checker resolves your situation to one of three verdicts. “You’ll need ETIAS” means your passport is one of the 59 visa-exempt nationalities — including the US, UK, Canada, Australia, Japan and Brazil — and you will need an approved authorisation (EUR 20, valid 3 years) once the system launches. “You need a Schengen visa, NOT ETIAS” means your passport — India, China, Pakistan, Nigeria, Turkey and others — has no visa-free agreement, so the consulate visa route is unchanged. “Exempt” means you are a citizen of one of the 30 ETIAS countries or Ireland, or hold equivalent free-movement status. For the full country-by-country reasoning see our ETIAS eligibility guide and the complete list in ETIAS countries.
Who Needs ETIAS: The 59 Nationalities at a Glance
The table below mirrors the official EU visa-exempt list used by the checker (grouped as in our eligibility guide, cross-checked against our visa eligibility checker data). If your nationality is here, the checker returns “needs ETIAS”.
| Verdict | Nationalities | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Needs ETIAS (North America) | United States, Canada, Mexico, The Bahamas | EUR 20 authorisation, 3-year validity, once operational |
| Needs ETIAS (UK & Europe) | United Kingdom, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Ukraine, Kosovo | Includes post-Brexit UK; ETIAS is separate from the UK ETA |
| Needs ETIAS (Americas) | Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Peru, Uruguay, Paraguay, Costa Rica, Panama + Caribbean states | Largest regional block on the list |
| Needs ETIAS (Asia-Pacific) | Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macao + Pacific islands | Three-year validity suits long-haul travellers best |
| Needs ETIAS (Middle East & Africa) | Israel, United Arab Emirates, Mauritius, Seychelles | Only 4 entries from these regions |
| Needs a Schengen visa instead | India, China, Pakistan, Nigeria, Egypt, Turkey, Russia, Philippines, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia | Visa route unchanged; ETIAS never applies — see our Schengen visa guide for US citizens for how the visa path works |
| Exempt (no ETIAS, no visa) | France, Germany and all EU citizens; Ireland; Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein, Switzerland | Free movement; travel on the European passport if dual-national |
Honest Launch Status: ETIAS Is Delayed to 2027
Here is the part many sites bury: ETIAS is not operational, no applications are being collected, and no official start date has been announced. The former last-quarter-2026 target was quietly withdrawn from the official EU site, and current reporting points to 2027 at the earliest, pending stabilisation of the Entry/Exit System on which ETIAS depends. The EU has promised several months’ notice plus a transitional grace period before enforcement. That means nothing you do today can secure an ETIAS — and any website taking payment for one today is not the official service. Track the timeline in our ETIAS delay 2027 update and the overview at ETIAS. The checker’s verdicts describe what will apply once the system is live, so you can plan without being misled.
Fee, Validity and Age Rules the Checker Applies
The official ETIAS fee is EUR 20 per application — raised from the originally announced EUR 7 by a 2025 Commission regulation, so pages still quoting EUR 7 are out of date. One payment buys an authorisation valid for three years or until your passport expires, with unlimited short stays (up to 90 days in any 180) across all 30 ETIAS countries. Age affects only the payment: travellers under 18 and over 70 still need their own ETIAS but pay nothing, while ages 18–70 pay the full EUR 20. Select your age band in the checker and the verdict reflects your fee correctly — including the family maths (two adults plus two teenagers means two fees, not four).
Worked Verdicts (Check Your Result Against These)
United States → needs ETIAS (EUR 20, 3 years). United Kingdom → needs ETIAS (separate from the UK ETA). India → Schengen visa, NOT ETIAS. Japan → needs ETIAS. Brazil → needs ETIAS. France → exempt (EU citizen). Dual US–Italian national travelling on the Italian passport → exempt. Holder of a valid Schengen visa or EU residence permit → exempt from ETIAS (the visa or permit already covers screening).
ETIAS Eligibility FAQs
Do US citizens need ETIAS?
Yes. United States citizens are on the official visa-exempt list, so once ETIAS is operational you will need an approved authorisation before travelling to any of the 30 ETIAS countries for a short stay. You do not need a Schengen visa, and you keep your current 90-day allowance.
Do UK citizens need ETIAS?
Yes. British citizens are visa-exempt and therefore need an ETIAS to visit the 30 ETIAS countries. This is separate from the UK ETA, which Britain requires from visitors travelling into the UK. A Londoner flying to Berlin needs an ETIAS; a Berliner flying to London needs a UK ETA.
Do Indians need ETIAS?
No. Indian nationals are not on the visa-exempt list, so ETIAS does not apply to them. Indian passport holders need a Schengen visa from a consulate instead. ETIAS only screens travellers who currently enter Europe without a visa.
How much does ETIAS cost and how long does it last?
The official ETIAS fee is EUR 20 per application, raised from the originally planned EUR 7 by a 2025 Commission regulation. One payment covers three years or until your passport expires, with unlimited short stays across all 30 ETIAS countries. Travellers under 18 and over 70 still need an ETIAS but do not pay the fee.
Can I apply for ETIAS right now?
No. ETIAS is not operational and no applications are being collected. The last-quarter-2026 target was withdrawn and current reporting points to a 2027 launch, with several months notice promised before enforcement. Any website taking payment for ETIAS today is not the official service.
Do EU citizens and Irish citizens need ETIAS?
No. Citizens of the 30 ETIAS countries are exempt, as are Irish citizens, since Ireland is not in the ETIAS zone and its citizens hold EU free-movement rights. If you hold dual nationality and one of your nationalities is European, travel on that passport and you are exempt.
Do children need ETIAS?
Yes. Every traveller needs an individual ETIAS, including babies — age never removes the requirement. The difference is cost: only applicants aged 18 to 70 pay the EUR 20 fee, while under-18s and over-70s apply free. Parents apply on behalf of minor children.
Do I need ETIAS if I already hold a Schengen visa or residence permit?
No. A valid Schengen short-stay visa, long-stay visa or residence permit from one of the 30 ETIAS countries already covers the screening ETIAS would add, so no authorisation is needed. The same applies to family members of EU citizens holding the relevant residence card.
Do Canadians, Australians and Japanese citizens need ETIAS?
Yes. Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and South Korea are all on the visa-exempt list, so their citizens will need an ETIAS for short stays in the 30 ETIAS countries. The same applies to Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Singapore, Israel and the UAE.
Which nationalities need a Schengen visa instead of ETIAS?
Nationals of countries without a visa-free agreement need a Schengen visa, not ETIAS — including India, China, Pakistan, Nigeria, Egypt, Turkey, Russia, the Philippines, Indonesia and Saudi Arabia. If your passport currently requires a visa for a short European stay, that route is unchanged by ETIAS.
How We Fact-Checked This Checker
All rules were checked on October 4, 2026 against the official EU ETIAS site at travel-europe.europa.eu/etias (59 visa-exempt nationalities, EUR 20 fee, 3-year validity, not operational with no applications collected), the 2025 fee regulation, and our ETIAS eligibility guide country tables. Launch timing follows EU statements plus July 2026 reporting on the 2027 delay — always confirm the current status on the official EU site before travel.