Emergence of unofficial ETIAS websites

There are dozens of unofficial ETIAS websites, often pretending to provide official information about the European Union’s upcoming and not yet in practice travel requirements for visa-free nationals, in many languages.

Some of the information on these websites related to ETIAS is simply wrong. Many of them illegally use the official EU logo, pretending to be an official EU website, while others already collect travellers’ personal data, which is concerning.

It is important to note that the ETIAS regulation,does allow commercial intermediaries to apply for the ETIAS travel authorisation on behalf of others. While some of these websites are run by genuine businesses, others may act dishonestly.

To apply for an ETIAS travel authorisation, it is best to use the official ETIAS website. The European Union does not issue authorisations nor licences to commercial intermediaries. Applying for an ETIAS travel authorisation will require travellers to submit their personal data and provide their credit card details, making it important to ensure that the platform collecting this information is secure and that the sensitive information provided is not misused.

Once ETIAS is launched in 2024, commercial intermediaries will use the official ETIAS website to apply on behalf of their clients. Applying on the official website will cost just EUR 7. Any additional charges will go to the intermediaries.

The official ETIAS website is travel-europe.europa.eu/etias.

All official websites of the European Union can be recognised by the europa.eu domain.