Digital borders are here, but not every new European travel requirement has actually started yet. Here is what U.S. passport holders need to know before traveling to the UK, Ireland, and continental Europe.
What Americans Need Before Traveling To The UK And Europe In 2026
I keep hearing from readers and clients who are confused about whether they need a visa, registration, ETA, ETIAS, or some other new digital permission before traveling to the UK or Europe.
The confusion is understandable because several systems are being rolled out at once, and some are already active while others are still coming.
Here is the short answer for U.S. citizens:
- United Kingdom: You need a UK Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) before travel.
- Schengen Europe: You do not need ETIAS yet, but it is expected to start in late 2026.
- European Entry/Exit System (EES): This is a border system, not something you apply for in advance.
- Republic of Ireland: U.S. citizens can still visit visa-free for tourism or business stays up to 90 days.
- Northern Ireland: This is part of the UK, so the UK ETA applies.
United Kingdom: Americans Need An ETA Now
If you are traveling to England, Scotland, Wales, or Northern Ireland, you now need a UK Electronic Travel Authorisation unless you already hold another valid UK immigration status.
This applies to U.S. citizens visiting for tourism, family visits, business meetings, conferences, or short-term study for up to six months.
The official place to apply is here (though best to download the app).
Do not use random third-party sites…they pay for preferential placement in Google searches but are effectively scams. The UK government says the ETA costs £20, is linked to your passport, and is valid for two years or until your passport expires, whichever comes first. You can travel to the UK multiple times while it remains valid.
To apply, you will need:
- The passport you will use for travel
- An email address
- A payment card, Apple Pay, or Google Pay
- A photo of your face
Most decisions are made quickly, but the UK says to allow up to three working days. Do not wait until you are standing at the airport…though that’s an interesting point. As far as I understand, this is not something that airlines verify in advance…it would be up to you to apply.
Also note that the ETA is not a visa. It is digital permission to travel to the UK. Border officers still make the final entry decision when you arrive.
Schengen Europe: ETIAS Is Coming, But Not Yet
For most of continental Europe, the big upcoming system is ETIAS, short for the European Travel Information and Authorisation System.
This will apply to visa-exempt travelers, including U.S. citizens, traveling to many European countries for short stays. That includes popular destinations like France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Greece, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Portugal, Austria, and many others.
But as of now, U.S. citizens do not need ETIAS before traveling to Schengen Europe.
The official EU site says ETIAS is expected to start in the last quarter of 2026. Until then, do not pay anyone claiming they can get you an ETIAS approval. There is nothing to get yet.
The official EU site is here.
Once ETIAS launches, it is expected to cost €20 and be valid for three years or until your passport expires, whichever comes first. It will not replace the normal 90-days-in-180-days Schengen rule.
EES: You Do Not Apply For This Before Travel
The European Entry/Exit System, or EES, is different from ETIAS.
EES is not a visa and not a pre-travel authorization. You do not fill out an online application before your trip.
Instead, EES is the new digital border system used when non-EU travelers enter and exit participating European countries. It records passport details, entry and exit dates, and biometric data such as a facial image and fingerprints.
Put simply, this is the system that replaces passport stamps but is not related to travel permission.
For travelers, the practical impact is that your first entry into Europe under EES may take longer, especially at busy airports or border crossings, because biometric data may need to be captured. On later trips, the process should be faster because your information will already be in the system.
The official EU EES site is here.
Ireland Is Unique
Ireland causes confusion because people often lump it together with either the UK or Schengen Europe.
The Republic of Ireland is not part of the UK and is not part of the Schengen Area, though it is an EU member state. U.S. citizens can enter Ireland visa-free for tourism or business stays of up to 90 days.
But Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom. If you are entering Northern Ireland, the UK ETA rules apply.
If you enter Ireland in Dublin and drive to, say, Belfast, you will not encounter a physical border and do not need a UK ETA, nor would you need one if you then flew from Belfast to London.
Do Not Forget Passport Validity Rules
Finally, make sure your passport meets validity requirements.
For the UK, your passport generally must be valid for the length of your stay.
For Schengen Europe, your passport should generally be valid for at least three months beyond your planned departure from the Schengen Area.
This is not strictly enforced in my experience, but it is not worth gambling over..
CONCLUSION
The new digital border era is arriving in pieces, which is why so many travelers are confused.
For now, the most important takeaway for U.S. citizens is simple: get a UK ETA before traveling to the United Kingdom, but do not worry about ETIAS yet because it has not launched.
Use only official government websites, build in extra time at European borders, and check the rules again before departure because this is one area where the details are still evolving (though I will update this post).
Very helpful overview. Paid for the UK ETA. Not too different from Australia (use their app, pay the fee, etc.), but UK lasts longer (2 years vs. 1 year). The only downside is if you get a new passport during that time, you have to re-do. EES is better in that you don’t have to do anything in-advance, but it can be tedious the first time on-arrival (which is leading to long lines.)
Recently traveling AUH thru LHR to USA. Ethiad would not board me because their computer did not show me traveling beyond LHR even rhough I showed them a boarding pass LHR CLT with a 2 hour connect but no ETA, not required. Be careful!
That sounds like a clear error on Etihad’s part, right?
Helpful post, Matthew, thanks.
EES had a inconsistent roll-out in our experience. We entered EU via CDG on 4/12 a few days after it supposedly went live but no fingerprints or facial were collected. So not sure what the deal was. I expected it to delay our connection but didn’t notice anything different from prior processes
You mention that “If you enter Ireland in Dublin and drive to, say, Belfast, you will not encounter a physical border and do not need a UK ETA, nor would you need one if you then flew from Belfast to London.” While it is true that you wouldn’t encounter a checkpoint at which you would need to show a UK ETA, you would still technically need one. In the event that you later departed from London, you could encounter an issue with the fact that you entered the UK without an ETA.
As I understand it, you’re correct that you “should” have one, but it will not be checked for “domestic” itineraries between UK constituent countries.
Traveling from the Republic of Ireland to the UK isn’t domestic and even if ETA’s aren’t checked there, if you enter the UK without one you’ll be an illegal alien.
The reverse is true. Flying LHR-DUB you clear Irish immigration, but in the opposite direction, you arrive as a domestic passenger. Over land there is no stop in either direction whatsoever. I don’t think you are actually breaking any rule by flying in to DUB and crossing in to the UK without an ETA. Under the rules of the CTA, immigration would be handled by Irish authorities and there’s no ETA requirement.
If you are legally present in Ireland, there is no manner in which you cannot be legally present in the UK, so an ETA would be unnecessary because it is used to determine your admissibility for entering the UK. If an Irish officer has admitted you to Ireland, you are already deemed admissible to the UK rendering an ETA unnecessary.
But to be sure – only transiting Heathrow does not require anything special, correct? Thanks…
That is 100% certain.
Not sure how many people this applies to, but Matthew you might want to add that US citizens traveling to Cyprus will have the same procedures as traveling to Ireland (since Cyprus, like Ireland, is a part of the EU but not Schengen).
Is that true? The 90/180 rule was expanded to Romania, Bulgaria, and Cyprus before RO and BG joined Schengen, and Cyprus is only outside of Schengen because of the uncertainty around the border in the area occupied by Turkey. I would be surprised if it fell outside of ETIAS, at least for arrivals by air.
Whoops, my bad! Cyprus will be part of ETIAS.
There is also a goor chance it could also be part of Schengen by the end of the year.
I went through Shengen EES for the first time this week, arriving at CDG 2E and transferring to a flying out of 2F. The process seemed exactly the same as before. After security screening, I entered a lane, scanned my passport, walked down a glass-enclosed short passage to keep you in your lane), where I stopped, had my picture taken, and proceeded to the lounge. No fingerprints taken, and I didn’t see a place to do it. Compared to last year, it was exactly the same, except last year there was a person station as you exit to stamp your passport. I was able to put my bags on the conveyor for screening about 60 seconds after arriving at the queue. I then had zero waiting time anywhere in the process other than the 10 seconds or so for my passport to get the green light and another 10 for the photo to be green lit. I will point out I could use the Sky Priority lanes. When I entered the Sky Priority line that included US citizens for EES, there was no person ahead of me in the line. Those not in SP lanes where taking longer, but I’d guess EES was under 20 minutes easily for them. This occurred at 6:20 am.
I haven’t look recently, but the official website did suggest a three-phase implementation for the ETIAS:
Phase 1, first 6 months: you can get an ETIAS, but won’t need one to enter
Phase 2, next 6 months: you are required to have an ETIAS, but if you arrive without one, you can enter, but you only get the forgiveness once in that phase
Phase 3, onwards, you are required to have it.
The question is, if they do do this, will the airline let you board without an ETIAS in Phase 1? And, in Phase 2, will they let you board without one, and, if so, how would they know you hadn’t used your “mulligan”?
One additional point, while the ETIAS will be required for all travelers, the fee is waived for those who are under 18 and those 70+. Assuming if you apply when your kid is 17.9 yo and it lasts the full 3 years (which I imagine it would so long as the passport doesn’t get renewed), crafty folks might apply for one for the kid even without solid travel plans.
BTW, if you’re going to be in DUB flying to the US this summer, the 51st & Green lounge is open after the refurbishment. And, if you book the lounge by 5 May (including visits after that date), you can get it for €25 (2 hour max.). Search the lounge name and go to their website.
That’s a good tip. Any idea if there is barista coffee? (I think not, but just wondering)
https://www.dublinairport.com/enhance-your-journey/lounges/us-preclearance-lounge-51st-green
I don’t drink coffee, but I’ll try to remember to find out when I pass through on the way home. It does mention coffee available at a push of a button, so, I’m guessing it wouldn’t impress you.
Just entered Germany this week, it was really not a big deal, except that the automated machines are terrible at getting your finger prints…attempted 3-4 times eventually it just gave up and told me to proceed… the officer (I still needed to show and get a stamp) asked me to do the finger prints again because the machine is “terrible”. But really doesn’t take that much time…
But, I wasn’t required at CDG to give fingerprints. And, no stamping took place (I never saw an officer, just the folks helping direct you to the right queue [insert Germans always want you to show papers joke here]). EES is supposed to have been fully implemented, but our experiences suggest it’s not (unless inconsistent policies is a full rollout).
In Northern Ireland, if traveling by land from Ireland, the ETA is not required. There is no border crossing from Ireland to Northern Ireland to verify if one has the ETA
Did the UK ETA go up again in price? I believe my first one was about £13, but I got a new passport last fall, and that one was £16; I hadn’t realized the fee went up again, seemingly in the past 5 months. Still incredibly easy and usually approved in a minute, literally.
Yes, the UK has hiked up the price yet again. It’s getting ridiculous since they hit us with UK APD when visiting the UK and now also pile on increased costs to visit by adding increasing UK ETA fees. I wouldn’t be surprised if they hike it to 25-30 GBP before the decade is over.