European Union officials have quietly confirmed that the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) will now enter a six-month “soft-launch” phase in the last quarter of 2026 instead of mid-2025. The postponement is linked to delays in rolling out the companion Entry/Exit System (EES), which Spain has been testing since October 2025 at Madrid-Barajas and Málaga-Costa del Sol airports. AENA, the state-owned airport operator, welcomed the extra time, saying it will allow thousands of frontline agents to finish training on biometric kiosks before a second layer of checks is added. (visahq.com)
For corporate mobility managers, the deferral removes an immediate administrative hurdle. Non-EU assignees from visa-exempt markets such as the United Kingdom, United States, Canada and Australia can keep entering Spain on passport-only travel for at least another year, subject to the Schengen 90/180-day rule. Airlines, however, are already upgrading departure-control systems so they can verify ETIAS approvals once the scheme becomes mandatory—currently pencilled in for April 2027. Spanish carriers have warned that each check could add 15–30 seconds to the boarding process if data feeds are not fully automated. (visahq.com)
![EU pushes ETIAS launch to late-2026, giving Spain’s airports breathing room]()
If your organisation prefers to outsource the paperwork rather than juggle new databases and biometric rules, VisaHQ can step in. The company’s Spain team pre-validates passport data for ETIAS, handles NIE applications, and can even coordinate residence permits for longer assignments—all through a single online dashboard that keeps HR and travellers in sync. Explore the service offering at https://www.visahq.com/spain/.
The delay also buys time for Spain’s ports and land borders. The Port Authority of Algeciras has a €14 million two-phase project to install self-service kiosks, ABC e-gates, tablets and CCTV at the ferry terminals serving Morocco, but staff recruitment was running behind schedule. Similarly, Madrid-Barajas plans to double its bank of biometric kiosks from 90 to 180 before the first Easter travel peak after ETIAS goes live. The Spanish Civil Guard says extra months are “critical” for stress-testing databases and ensuring that visa-exempt travellers are not mistakenly denied boarding. (visahq.com)
Practical advice: companies should start capturing passport data in traveller profiles exactly as it appears in the machine-readable zone; any mismatch will cause ETIAS verification errors. HR teams should also map assignee populations who rely on short-term business travel—the group most likely to be caught off-guard when ETIAS becomes compulsory. Because the EU is expected to raise the ETIAS fee from €7 to €20, budgeting for 2027 travel should include this cost. Finally, ETIAS is not a work authorisation; employees sent to Spain for more than “incidental” activities will still need NIE numbers and, if salaried locally, residence permits under Spain’s Start-up Law or Highly Qualified Professional scheme. (visahq.com)
For corporate mobility managers, the deferral removes an immediate administrative hurdle. Non-EU assignees from visa-exempt markets such as the United Kingdom, United States, Canada and Australia can keep entering Spain on passport-only travel for at least another year, subject to the Schengen 90/180-day rule. Airlines, however, are already upgrading departure-control systems so they can verify ETIAS approvals once the scheme becomes mandatory—currently pencilled in for April 2027. Spanish carriers have warned that each check could add 15–30 seconds to the boarding process if data feeds are not fully automated. (visahq.com)
If your organisation prefers to outsource the paperwork rather than juggle new databases and biometric rules, VisaHQ can step in. The company’s Spain team pre-validates passport data for ETIAS, handles NIE applications, and can even coordinate residence permits for longer assignments—all through a single online dashboard that keeps HR and travellers in sync. Explore the service offering at https://www.visahq.com/spain/.
The delay also buys time for Spain’s ports and land borders. The Port Authority of Algeciras has a €14 million two-phase project to install self-service kiosks, ABC e-gates, tablets and CCTV at the ferry terminals serving Morocco, but staff recruitment was running behind schedule. Similarly, Madrid-Barajas plans to double its bank of biometric kiosks from 90 to 180 before the first Easter travel peak after ETIAS goes live. The Spanish Civil Guard says extra months are “critical” for stress-testing databases and ensuring that visa-exempt travellers are not mistakenly denied boarding. (visahq.com)
Practical advice: companies should start capturing passport data in traveller profiles exactly as it appears in the machine-readable zone; any mismatch will cause ETIAS verification errors. HR teams should also map assignee populations who rely on short-term business travel—the group most likely to be caught off-guard when ETIAS becomes compulsory. Because the EU is expected to raise the ETIAS fee from €7 to €20, budgeting for 2027 travel should include this cost. Finally, ETIAS is not a work authorisation; employees sent to Spain for more than “incidental” activities will still need NIE numbers and, if salaried locally, residence permits under Spain’s Start-up Law or Highly Qualified Professional scheme. (visahq.com)
