The European Commission confirmed on 22 October 2025 that travellers who are currently visa-exempt will not be required to hold an ETIAS travel authorisation for the first six months after the system goes live in Q4 2026.
Although ETIAS has been under development since 2016, repeated technical delays and budget discussions pushed the go-live date back and fuelled concern among airlines, tour operators and corporate travel managers about a ‘hard launch’. The newly announced grace period means that, even once ETIAS is formally operational, airlines will be permitted to board non-EU passengers who have not yet obtained the €20 permit. Carriers will not face fines and passengers will not be turned back at the border during the transition window.
For Italian businesses, the compromise is significant. Italy’s airports handled more than 32 million visa-exempt long-haul arrivals in 2024; half were leisure visitors who typically book at short notice. The grace period reduces the risk of last-minute cancellations that could hit Italy’s winter tourism season and protects inbound corporate travel tied to trade fairs in Milan, Bologna and Rome. Travel managers should nevertheless start updating booking workflows to capture passport data earlier and budget for the €20 fee, as the grace period merely postpones—not cancels—the requirement.
Immigration counsel also note that ETIAS will remain valid for three years or until passport expiry, whichever comes first. Employees assigned repeatedly to Italy from the United States, Canada, the UK or Japan should therefore apply once the system opens to avoid bottlenecks when the grace period ends in 2027.
Although ETIAS has been under development since 2016, repeated technical delays and budget discussions pushed the go-live date back and fuelled concern among airlines, tour operators and corporate travel managers about a ‘hard launch’. The newly announced grace period means that, even once ETIAS is formally operational, airlines will be permitted to board non-EU passengers who have not yet obtained the €20 permit. Carriers will not face fines and passengers will not be turned back at the border during the transition window.
For Italian businesses, the compromise is significant. Italy’s airports handled more than 32 million visa-exempt long-haul arrivals in 2024; half were leisure visitors who typically book at short notice. The grace period reduces the risk of last-minute cancellations that could hit Italy’s winter tourism season and protects inbound corporate travel tied to trade fairs in Milan, Bologna and Rome. Travel managers should nevertheless start updating booking workflows to capture passport data earlier and budget for the €20 fee, as the grace period merely postpones—not cancels—the requirement.
Immigration counsel also note that ETIAS will remain valid for three years or until passport expiry, whichever comes first. Employees assigned repeatedly to Italy from the United States, Canada, the UK or Japan should therefore apply once the system opens to avoid bottlenecks when the grace period ends in 2027.
