Canadians won't need EU travel waivers until end of 2026

Stephen Hoff · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 22, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 8 minutes ago

The European Union has delayed the implementation of the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) again.

The hold is owed to method problems, according to an announcement from the European Council.

The programme is present expected to beryllium successful spot successful the last 4th of 2026, with a six-month grace play for travellers. The strategy was primitively acceptable to beryllium successful spot successful 2021.

The changes volition impact hundreds of thousands Canadians who question to the EU each year.

ETIAS will necessitate that visa-exempt travellers — including Canadians — use online for visa waivers earlier their accomplishment successful 1 of the 29 Schengen-area countries and Cyprus.

The waiver volition outgo €7, oregon astir $11, and volition past for 3 years. Canadians volition request to capable retired the form with their idiosyncratic accusation and pay before they travel.

While astir waivers volition beryllium processed successful minutes, immoderate could instrumentality up to 30 days.

Canadians who clasp an EU passport oregon a residency paper successful an EU state volition beryllium exempt from the program.

Ireland volition not enactment and volition proceed to person its ain visa argumentation due to the fact that it is portion of the Common Travel Area with the U.K.

Global Affairs Canada says they are alert of the caller timeline and said successful a connection that "Canadians are encouraged to sojourn our Travel Advice and Advisories web leafage for each the latest accusation connected introduction and exit requirements."

Canada has a akin programme — the Electronic Travel Authorization — which costs users $5 and lasts for 5 years. The U.S. also has visa waiver programs for galore countries, but Canadians are not required to person the waiver.

However, they bash person to registry if they mean to enactment successful the U.S. for much than 30 days.

The EU is besides introducing a modernized introduction and exit strategy that volition cod facial images and fingerprints of astir visitors to the 30 European countries participating. That strategy is expected to statesman its rollout successful October and proceed implicit six months. It includes non-EU members similar Switzerland and Norway but besides does not see Ireland.