From up to date visa and passport necessities to new flight and prepare routes, listed below are the main adjustments it’s best to find out about if you’re travelling to or from Italy in 2026.
EU visa and passport adjustments
The EU’s long-delayed border management scheme often known as Entry/Exit System (EES) is because of full its rollout out by April 2026.
Meanwhile the EU visa waiver programme often known as the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) is ready to launch by the top of 2026.
You can discover a detailed information to EES and ETIAS HERE, however this is a fast breakdown:
EES – EES is an enhanced biometric passport verify designed to switch guide passport stamping.Â
It launched on October twelfth with a six-month phased rollout, and must be operational in any respect exterior EU checkpoints by April tenth, 2026.
READ ALSO: Q&A: How do new EES border checks have an effect on journey to Italy?
When non-EU travellers first enter the Schengen space, they should register with the EES by sharing their identify, biometric knowledge (fingerprints and face scan) and the date and place of entry and exit.
This knowledge is quickly retained, so passengers will solely have to re-register as soon as each three years. EU residents and residents are exempt.
ETIAS – ETIAS is a web-based visa waiver required for vacationers and different guests to the EU/Schengen zone, just like the US’s ESTA.
The system is at present resulting from launch within the final quarter of 2026.
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The newest proposed charge is €20, up from an unique €7, although the authorisation is freed from cost for folks aged over 70 and underneath 18s.
Once granted, will probably be legitimate for 3 years.
UK journey
Like the the EU’s ETIAS scheme, the UK’s Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) is a visa waiver required for anybody getting into the nation on a non-UK or non-Irish passport.
The authorisation prices £16 (round €18), and lasts for 2 years.
It’s suggested to use for it at the very least three days upfront of journey, though the UK authorities says that “most purposes are processed in minutes”.Â
The scheme has been in place since April 2025, however UK authorities officers not too long ago stated they are going to begin barring individuals who haven’t got one from getting into the nation beginning in February 2026.
READ ALSO: Do I want an ETA visa for my Italian partner or youngsters?
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New flight routes
People travelling to or from Italy may have extra flight choices in 2026, as plenty of worldwide airways have introduced new direct routes to a number of the nation’s hottest locations.
These embrace the first-ever direct connection between the US and the Italian island of Sardinia, which Delta Airlines is ready to launch in May.
READ ALSO: LISTED: The new flights to and from Italy in 2026
Meanwhile Irish price range airline Ryanair will open a brand new base at Trapani’s Birgi airport, western Sicily, in January, with plans to function 11 new routes to a variety of European locations.
Venice entry charge 2026 calendar
Venice is ready to increase its contested entry charge scheme to 60 days in 2026, up from 54 in 2025 and 29 in 2024.
The scheme is ready to start out on April third and finish on July twenty sixth, with day trippers required to pay for entry to Venice’s centro storico (historic centre) between 8.30am and 4pm on peak days.
You can discover the dates when the entry ticket shall be required on town council’s web site right here.
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High-speed rail hyperlinks to Germany and Austria
Trenitalia’s famed Frecciarossa (‘pink arrow’) high-speed trains are set to function new worldwide routes to Austria and Germany beginning in 2026, following an announcement from nationwide rail operator Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane (FS Group) in May.
A brand new route connecting the northern metropolis of Milan with Munich is anticipated to take 6.5 hours, with stops in Brescia, Verona, Rovereto, Trento, Bolzano and Innsbruck.
And a Rome-Munich line taking in Florence, Bologna, Verona, Rovereto, Trento, Bolzano and Innsbruck is anticipated to take 8.5 hours.
