ETIAS for Spain: Start Date, Cost and Who Needs One

Facts checked on 13 November 2026 against the EU's official ETIAS website.

ETIAS at a glance

What ETIAS is

ETIAS stands for European Travel Information and Authorisation System. It is a permission to travel that you apply for online before you leave home, much like the ESTA for the United States. It is not a visa. It is for people who can already visit Spain without a visa.

It is linked to your passport. If you renew your passport, you need a new ETIAS. With a valid one you can come and go as often as you like for short stays.

When does ETIAS start?

There is no date. The official website says ETIAS is currently not in operation, and that the EU will announce the specific start date several months before it launches. Earlier target dates have come and gone, so treat any date you read elsewhere with caution unless it is on the official website.

Until then there is nothing to apply for and nothing to pay. If a website offers to sell you an ETIAS for Spain now, do not use it.

Who will need an ETIAS for Spain?

Citizens of about 60 countries and territories that do not need a visa for short visits. The list includes the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

It will apply to trips to Spain and to 29 other European countries, among them France, Portugal, Italy, Germany, Greece, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Norway and Iceland. Ireland is not one of the 30.

Who will not need one?

You will not need an ETIAS if any of these applies to you:

• You live in Spain and hold a residence card. A residence permit issued by Spain exempts you, and that includes the TIE held by British residents under the Withdrawal Agreement. The same goes for a permit from any of the other countries that require ETIAS, except Cyprus.
• You hold a Spanish long-stay visa, such as a non-lucrative, student or digital nomad visa.
• You are a citizen of an EU country, of Ireland, or of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland. If you have two nationalities and one of them is European, travel on that passport.

A residence permit issued by Ireland does not exempt you. If you live in Ireland as a British citizen, you will need an ETIAS to visit Spain.

What it will cost and how long it lasts

The fee is 20 euros, paid by card when you apply. Applicants under 18 or over 70 pay nothing, and nor do family members of EU citizens who qualify for that status.

An ETIAS lasts three years, or until the passport you applied with expires, whichever comes first.

How you will apply

You will apply on the official ETIAS website or in the official ETIAS mobile application. A parent or guardian applies for a child under 18.

Most applications are decided within minutes. Some take longer, and then the decision comes within four days. That can stretch by up to 14 days if you are asked for more information, or up to 30 days if you are invited to an interview. The EU's own advice is to apply well ahead, before you buy your ticket or book your accommodation.

You will get the decision by email. Check that your name and passport number are right. If the details do not match your passport, you can be refused boarding.

What ETIAS does not change

An ETIAS does not guarantee entry. A border officer still checks your passport and can ask what you are doing in Spain, where you are staying and whether you can pay for your stay. Read what border officers in Spain can ask you to show.

Your passport must still be valid for three months after the day you plan to leave. See our guide to passport validity rules for Spain.

The limit stays at 90 days in any 180. ETIAS does not let you stay longer, work or live here. Read what happens if you overstay the 90 days.

ETIAS is also separate from the Entry/Exit System, the fingerprint and photo check at the border that is already running. We explain that in how the EES border checks work.

Staying longer than 90 days

If you want more than 90 days in Spain, ETIAS is not the answer. You need a visa, applied for before you travel, and a visa needs private health insurance from an insurer authorised in Spain. That is the part we arrange. See our health insurance for a Spanish visa.