The European Union (EU) has announced another delay, until 2025, in the launch of its European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS), which was scheduled to launch in 2024, and is similar to the one that exists for Europeans traveling to the United States.
In this way, British passport holders will retain their eligibility to travel to countries in the Schengen Area for one more year without having to apply for an online travel authorization.
The delay in the implementation of the Entry/Exit System (EES) by third parties has been cited as the main reason for the postponement.
Some EU countries, such as France, are interested in delaying the introduction of both the EES and ETIAS. The French government wants to avoid queues and chaos at border crossings with the United Kingdom, as well as at international airports, during the Paris Olympic Games next summer.
Explore France, the French Tourist Information Center, estimates that approximately one million tourists, including 10,500 athletes, 4,400 para-athletes, and 206 foreign delegations, will visit France during the Games.
The Cour des Comptes, a French public finance watchdog, had previously predicted that waiting times at the border between the United Kingdom and France could double due to the EEE.
British authorities do not want ETIAS, but are developing a similar system
On the contrary, British authorities have expressed their continued dissatisfaction with their inclusion in the EU's ETIAS system following the UK's departure from the EU in 2020.
However, the United Kingdom itself is actively developing a similar scheme known as the UK Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA).
The ETA will take effect in October for citizens of Qatar, with plans to include more citizens from visa-free countries next year. This implies that EU nationals could soon be subject to similar requirements as well.
