The ETIAS travel authorisation will be required for travel to the Schengen Area as well as Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus and Romania.[2] The EU member Ireland will not initially participate in ETIAS, but might join it in the future.[3] It is expected the ETIAS visa waiver to enter into operation at the end of 2022,[4] but ETIAS travel authorization will not be mandatory until 2023.[5][2][6][7] A 6-month grace period is planned to allow eligible travellers and staff to become familiar with the new system, and to catch possible technical problems.[7]