Holidaymakers and business travellers heading to Spain can breathe a little easier: the European Union has quietly confirmed yet another delay to its long-awaited European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS). According to an update published on 9 January 2026 and reported by the Olive Press, ETIAS will now launch in the “last quarter of 2026” with a six-month grace period—meaning the permit will not become mandatory until at least April 2027.
ETIAS, often dubbed the EU’s answer to the U.S. ESTA, will require visa-exempt nationals—including those from the UK, USA, Canada and Australia—to apply online and pay a €20 fee before entering the Schengen Area. The new timeline aligns ETIAS with the progressive roll-out of the biometric Entry/Exit System (EES), which Spain began piloting in Madrid in late 2025 and must have fully operational by April 2026.
For Spain’s tourism and meetings industry, the postponement removes a short-term administrative hurdle at a time when visitor numbers are rebounding strongly. Tour operators feared that a 2025 launch would coincide with peak demand from North-American travellers and create confusion at airports. AENA, Spain’s airport operator, says the extension gives ground-handling teams additional time to train staff on the combined EES-ETIAS workflow.
![ETIAS Postponed Again: Travellers to Spain Won’t Need EU Travel Permit Until 2027]()
Whether you’re a solo backpacker or managing group travel for a multinational firm, VisaHQ can smooth the transition when ETIAS finally goes live. The company already helps thousands obtain Spanish visas and will offer end-to-end ETIAS support—application guidance, deadline reminders and secure payment processing—through its intuitive portal at https://www.visahq.com/spain/.
Corporate mobility managers should nonetheless prepare: airlines will need passengers’ ETIAS numbers at check-in once enforcement begins, and companies must budget for the new fee. Travellers who visit multiple Schengen countries during a 90-day trip will need only one authorisation, valid for three years or until passport expiry. Dual-nationals with an EU passport can avoid the requirement altogether.
EU officials insist the latest delay is due to lingering technical integration issues among member-state databases. Critics, however, see political reluctance to impose new barriers during a fragile economic recovery. Either way, Spain gains an extra 18 months to fine-tune border processes before millions of third-country visitors start queuing at ETIAS-ready e-gates.
ETIAS, often dubbed the EU’s answer to the U.S. ESTA, will require visa-exempt nationals—including those from the UK, USA, Canada and Australia—to apply online and pay a €20 fee before entering the Schengen Area. The new timeline aligns ETIAS with the progressive roll-out of the biometric Entry/Exit System (EES), which Spain began piloting in Madrid in late 2025 and must have fully operational by April 2026.
For Spain’s tourism and meetings industry, the postponement removes a short-term administrative hurdle at a time when visitor numbers are rebounding strongly. Tour operators feared that a 2025 launch would coincide with peak demand from North-American travellers and create confusion at airports. AENA, Spain’s airport operator, says the extension gives ground-handling teams additional time to train staff on the combined EES-ETIAS workflow.
Whether you’re a solo backpacker or managing group travel for a multinational firm, VisaHQ can smooth the transition when ETIAS finally goes live. The company already helps thousands obtain Spanish visas and will offer end-to-end ETIAS support—application guidance, deadline reminders and secure payment processing—through its intuitive portal at https://www.visahq.com/spain/.
Corporate mobility managers should nonetheless prepare: airlines will need passengers’ ETIAS numbers at check-in once enforcement begins, and companies must budget for the new fee. Travellers who visit multiple Schengen countries during a 90-day trip will need only one authorisation, valid for three years or until passport expiry. Dual-nationals with an EU passport can avoid the requirement altogether.
EU officials insist the latest delay is due to lingering technical integration issues among member-state databases. Critics, however, see political reluctance to impose new barriers during a fragile economic recovery. Either way, Spain gains an extra 18 months to fine-tune border processes before millions of third-country visitors start queuing at ETIAS-ready e-gates.
