The Italian Ministry of the Interior has confirmed that it will synchronise with a wider Schengen-area push to digitise border formalities by introducing nationwide e-visa filing and biometric passport gates during 2026. The announcement came as Travel & Tour World reported a coordinated move by Poland, Switzerland, Ireland, Hungary, Germany and Italy to bring their consular platforms in line with the forthcoming European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) and the Entry/Exit System (EES). (travelandtourworld.com)
For visa-required nationals, Italy will phase out paper sticker visas in favour of a cryptographically-signed PDF with a QR-code that carriers can scan before boarding. Visa-exempt visitors will, from late-2026, need to register on ETIAS and pay the €20 authorisation fee. At the physical border, 150 new automated e-gates will be installed in Rome Fiumicino, Milan Malpensa and Venice, capturing four fingerprints and a live facial image in under 45 seconds.
In this context, VisaHQ can relieve both corporate mobility managers and individual travellers of the administrative burden: its Italy-dedicated platform (https://www.visahq.com/italy/) already provides guided e-visa filing, ETIAS eligibility checks, and alerts on biometric enrolment windows, ensuring applications stay compliant as the new systems come online.
![Italy Joins Schengen Peers in Rolling-Out E-Visa Filing and Biometric Border Gates]()
The government argues that the system will speed legitimate entry while reducing document fraud; travellers who have pre-enrolled biometrics will be able to use a “green lane” comparable to Global Entry in the United States. Airlines will have to connect to the EU carrier API to verify ETIAS approvals pre-departure—failure to do so will trigger fines of up to €5,000 per passenger.
For global-mobility teams the change means adjusting lead times: e-visa issuance is expected to drop from 15 to 5 working days, but the ETIAS requirement adds an extra online step for short-term assignees from visa-waiver countries such as the United States, Canada and Australia. Policy departments should update traveller-checklists and educate employees about data-privacy implications of biometric capture.
Implementing partners include Leonardo S.p.A. for the hardware, and SIA (Nexi Group) for secure payment processing. A pilot will begin in July at Bologna airport, with nationwide roll-out targeted for December 2026, pending EU security certification.
For visa-required nationals, Italy will phase out paper sticker visas in favour of a cryptographically-signed PDF with a QR-code that carriers can scan before boarding. Visa-exempt visitors will, from late-2026, need to register on ETIAS and pay the €20 authorisation fee. At the physical border, 150 new automated e-gates will be installed in Rome Fiumicino, Milan Malpensa and Venice, capturing four fingerprints and a live facial image in under 45 seconds.
In this context, VisaHQ can relieve both corporate mobility managers and individual travellers of the administrative burden: its Italy-dedicated platform (https://www.visahq.com/italy/) already provides guided e-visa filing, ETIAS eligibility checks, and alerts on biometric enrolment windows, ensuring applications stay compliant as the new systems come online.
The government argues that the system will speed legitimate entry while reducing document fraud; travellers who have pre-enrolled biometrics will be able to use a “green lane” comparable to Global Entry in the United States. Airlines will have to connect to the EU carrier API to verify ETIAS approvals pre-departure—failure to do so will trigger fines of up to €5,000 per passenger.
For global-mobility teams the change means adjusting lead times: e-visa issuance is expected to drop from 15 to 5 working days, but the ETIAS requirement adds an extra online step for short-term assignees from visa-waiver countries such as the United States, Canada and Australia. Policy departments should update traveller-checklists and educate employees about data-privacy implications of biometric capture.
Implementing partners include Leonardo S.p.A. for the hardware, and SIA (Nexi Group) for secure payment processing. A pilot will begin in July at Bologna airport, with nationwide roll-out targeted for December 2026, pending EU security certification.
