Official source Checked 10 September 2026 EU or national government source. Source

The EU has published no start date. Timing lives on the launch status tracker and nowhere else here.

Australia runs one too, and it is the odd one out

Australia has an Electronic Travel Authority for inbound visitors, so the concept is familiar. It is also the least like ETIAS of any of the systems we compare, in three specific ways that are worth naming rather than smoothing over.

Point of comparisonETIAS, for Australians visiting EuropeAustralian ETA, for visitors to Australia
What the charge is for The application itself, at EUR 20 AUD 20, described as a service charge for using the app rather than a charge for the authorisation.
How long it lasts Three years, or until the travel document used in the application expires, whichever comes first. Visit Australia as often as you wish in a 12 month period, staying up to 3 months each time you enter.
How you obtain it Online, through the EU portal, when it opens. Through the Australian ETA app, for holders of an eligible passport.
Does everyone use the same product One authorisation, whatever passport you hold, for every participating country. No. European passport holders are directed to a separate visa, the eVisitor.

Official source Checked 10 September 2026 EU or national government source. Source

The twelve month figure is the one to hold on to. An Australian who has watched visiting relatives renew an authorisation every year will expect the European one to work the same way and be pleasantly surprised. It runs for Three years, or until the travel document used in the application expires, whichever comes first.

The long trip problem

Australians take longer European trips than almost anyone, which makes the stay limit the part of this that actually shapes plans. The limit is 90 days in any 180 day period. It is a combined total across every participating country, and the window rolls forward continuously rather than resetting when you leave.

That has a practical consequence for the classic itinerary. Weeks in Greece, then Italy, then Spain all draw on one allowance. Time in Ireland or the United Kingdom does not draw on it, because neither is inside the area, which is why breaking a long trip with a non-participating country is a real planning tool rather than folklore. What it does not do is reset anything: the earlier days stay inside the window until enough time has passed for them to fall out of it. The arithmetic, with worked examples, is on the 90 in 180 day rule.

The reason this now matters more than it used to is not ETIAS. It is the Entry/Exit System, operating since 10 April 2026, which replaced hand stamping with a digital record of every entry and exit.

Working holidays are a different thing entirely

Australia holds working holiday and youth mobility arrangements with a number of European countries. Those are national visas, issued by an individual country, permitting work, and running for periods measured in years rather than days. An authorisation covers short stays for tourism, business visits and transit, and does not permit work.

If you are travelling on a working holiday visa, that visa governs the stay, not this. We do not list which countries currently run such arrangements or on what terms, because each set of terms belongs to a different government and changes on its own schedule. The consulate of the country concerned is the source that is answerable for it.

Transit through a European hub

Australians connect through European airports constantly on the way somewhere else. Whether an authorisation will be needed turns on whether you cross the border, not on whether you land. Remaining inside the international transit area is not entering; collecting bags, changing terminals or connecting onto a domestic flight generally is. Airlines verify authorisations at boarding, so the airline handling your itinerary is the party that can answer for your specific routing.

Your passport

Your travel document should not expire in less than three months and it should not be older than 10 years.

Official source Checked 10 September 2026 EU or national government source. Source

Both conditions apply to the document rather than to you, and the second is the one that is easy to miss on a passport that still looks current. Check the issue date as well as the expiry date before doing anything else, since a renewal will end an authorisation early in any case.

Common questions

Do I need a separate one for each country on the trip?

No. One authorisation will cover all 30 participating countries. The full list, and which countries operate the Entry/Exit System, is on countries and territories.

I have an Italian or Irish grandparent. Does that exempt me?

Only if you hold the passport. An entitlement to citizenship you have not claimed does nothing at a border, because the exemption follows the document you present.

Sites are already selling this to Australians. Are any of them real?

None can be. ETIAS is currently not in operation and no applications for travel authorisations are collected at this point. No intermediary programme exists to be part of. The recognisable patterns are on avoiding ETIAS scams, and if you want a personal answer on whether the requirement will reach you, you can check eligibility.

Guides for other nationalities

Each of these covers the same requirement from a different starting point, because the comparison that makes it clear is different in each country.

Nationalities without a guide are listed in the data table on countries and territories. We would rather list a country once, accurately, than write a thin page about it.

Last verified 10 September 2026. How we verify