TORONTO — Reports suggest that the ETIAS visa waiver program has been pushed back once again.

According to sites including SchengenVisaInfo, EU sources say the European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS) may not launch until spring 2025.

If true, it would be at least the fourth time ETIAS has been delayed. Originally scheduled to start in 2021, the program was pushed back to May 2023, and then November 2023, and then 2024.

The EU’s site still lists the 2024 start date.

As the EU site notes, ETIAS will require some 1.4 billion people from more than 60 visa-exempt countries to have travel authorization to enter most European countries.

As Travelweek reported in 2023, the ETIAS visa waiver program applies to residents of 63 non-EU countries, including Canada, who wish to enter 30 European countries. With valid ETIAS travel authorization, travellers will be able to enter these countries as often as they wish for short-term stays (normally for up to 90 days in any 180-day period). Application to the ETIAS program will be done online prior to the trip.