TORONTO — Fake websites offering ETIAS travel permits have prompted a consumer alert warning.

ABTA, the UK’s counterpart to retail travel organizations like ACTA in Canada and ASTA in the U.S., notes that the European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS) hasn’t even launched yet, and already more than 150 sites are scamming travellers with bogus offers of ETIAS authorizations. 

The years-delayed ETIAS has been postponed to 2027 after chaos this summer at many European airports bogged down by lineups for the new Entry/Exit System (EES), which rolled out in April 2026. The partner programs aim to strengthen security at Europe’s borders. 

When the ETIAS does launch, Europe-bound travellers from nearly 60 visa-exempt countries, including Canada and the UK, will need to apply for an entry permit in advance of their trip, and pay 20 euros, a sharp increase in price from the original 7 euros. The permit will be valid for three years. 

ABTA’s director of public affairs, Luke Petherbridge, told The Times: “You can’t – and shouldn’t – apply for an ETIAS now.”

He told The Times: “This is particularly important when you consider that European authorities believe over 150 websites offering ETIAS already exist, but there is only one official site people should apply through when live.”

ABTA believes the ETIAS shouldn’t launch until EES “is fully operational and working properly,” Petherbridge added.

Many of the scam sites are virtual lookalikes to the official site, adding to the confusion. The official ETIAS authorization site is: travel-europe.europa.eu/etias. The official site notes the ETIAS is currently not in operation and no applications for travel authorizations are collected at this point: “The EU will inform about the specific date for the start of ETIAS several months prior to its launch.”