Do I need a Schengen visa, an ETIAS, or nothing?
Checked against official sources. This page last updated .
Get an email if this changes ↓
For most British, American, Canadian and Australian travellers: nothing to apply for, today.
If your nationality is visa-exempt, you do not apply for anything before a short trip to Europe right now. You are registered at the border itself, under EES, which is already running. ETIAS will add an online authorisation later, but it has not started and no date has been announced. If your nationality is not visa-exempt, none of that applies to you: you need a Schengen visa, and you always did.
The three things, and which is which
A short-stay visa you apply for at a consulate or visa centre before you travel, for stays of up to 90 days in any 180. Whether you need one depends on your nationality: the visa-exempt list is Annex II of Regulation (EU) 2018/1806, and the list of nationalities that do need a visa is Annex I. The fee is €90, reduced to €45 for children aged 6 to 11 and free for children under 6. If you need a visa, ETIAS is not something you also apply for — the visa covers you.
An online travel authorisation, not a visa: you will fill in a form and pay €20, and most decisions are expected in minutes. It will last up to three years or until your passport expires, and it will be free for under-18s and over-70s. It is not running. Nobody can sell you one today, and no start date has been announced — we track that on our ETIAS status page.
Not something you apply for at all. It is the registration that happens when you arrive: your passport details, your photo and, from age 12, your fingerprints, replacing the stamp in your passport. It is free, it is already running, and it applies whether or not you needed a visa. Our EES status page tracks where it is actually operating, and our guide for families covers what it means with children.
What people get wrong
“ETIAS is a visa”
It is not, and the difference is practical: a visa is applied for at a consulate, costs €90 and takes weeks; ETIAS will be an online form costing €20 with most answers in minutes. Sites that describe ETIAS as a visa are usually selling something.
“I can get my ETIAS now to be safe”
You cannot. ETIAS is not in operation, no applications are being collected and no fee is payable. Anyone taking your money for one today is not selling you an ETIAS.
“EES is something I need to register for online”
No. There is no EES website, no form and no fee. It happens in person at the border.
“If I have an ETIAS I can definitely enter”
No authorisation guarantees entry, and neither will ETIAS. The border officer decides on arrival, as they do now.
“The 90 days reset when I leave”
They do not. It is 90 days in any rolling 180-day period across the whole Schengen area, not per country and not per trip. EES is what makes that count automatic and exact.
Questions people ask
Do I need a Schengen visa or an ETIAS?
It depends on your nationality, and you cannot need both. If your nationality is visa-exempt you will need an ETIAS once it starts, and nothing before then. If your nationality requires a visa, you apply for the visa and ETIAS does not apply to you.
Can I apply for an ETIAS today?
No. ETIAS is not in operation, no applications are being collected and no fee is payable. No website or app can give you one.
Is EES the same as ETIAS?
No. EES is a registration that happens at the border when you arrive, and it is already running. ETIAS is an online authorisation you will apply for before travelling, and it has not started.
How much does a Schengen visa cost?
€90 for adults, €45 for children aged 6 to 11, and free for children under 6. Reduced rates apply to nationals of some countries under facilitation agreements.
How much will ETIAS cost?
€20, and it will be free for under-18s and over-70s.
Do children need their own?
Yes, whichever applies. Every traveller needs their own visa or their own ETIAS, and every traveller including babies is registered in EES.
What is the 90/180 rule?
You can stay in the Schengen area for a total of 90 days in any rolling 180-day period, across all the countries together. It is not reset by leaving and coming back.
Where do I check whether my nationality needs a visa?
The definitive lists are Annex I and Annex II of Regulation (EU) 2018/1806, referenced from the European Commission's visa policy page. Check your own nationality there rather than relying on a summary.
We’ll tell you when this actually changes
The one thing here that will change is ETIAS starting, and the EU has said it will give several months’ notice. We’ll email you when that date is announced — no newsletter, no marketing.
We’re building it with real travellers. Your experience could help us create something genuinely useful.
Change log
- Corrected the reduced Schengen visa fee: it applies to children aged 6 to 11, not 6 to 12. A 12-year-old pays the full €90. Also made clear that EES applies to non-EU visitors, not to everybody.
- Checked against the official sources. Nothing on this page needed to change.
- Page published.
Sources
Checked on .
- European Commission — Visa policy (who needs a visa, the 90/180 rule, Annex I and Annex II)
- France-Visas — Visa fees (full rate, reduced rate for children 6–11, free under 6)
- European Commission — official EES information
- European Commission — official ETIAS information
- House of Commons Library — The EU Entry/Exit system and EU travel authorisation system (CBP-10676)
About this page
VIARYO is not a government body and this page is not an official source. We summarise what the authorities publish and record the date we checked it — you can read how we check our information. Your own nationality is the one thing you should confirm at the source: the definitive lists are Annex I and Annex II of Regulation (EU) 2018/1806, referenced from the European Commission’s visa policy page.
We are building VIARYO so that travellers do not have to work this out again before every trip.