British travellers warned to avoid scam websites offering Etias visa waiver

The rollout of the EU's new Etias visa waiver has been delayed, but fake websites offering the service are catching out British travellers.

ETIAS stands for European Travel Information and Authorisation System and will mean travellers to the EU/Schengen area will need to fill out an online application before they travel.

There is, as yet, no confirmed start date. That is partly due to the fact ETIAS can't be launched until EES is fully in place and the full roll out of the new biometric border checks has repeatedly been delayed or scaled back after travel problems were reported across Europe.

READ ALSO: Europe's airports and airlines demand EES rethink as 'unacceptable' delays continue

Luke Petherbridge, director of public affairs at travel association Abta, told The Guardian : "While Etias was due to come into force this year, it is now back on hold. Abta believes it shouldn’t be brought in until EES is fully operational and working properly."

British travellers unaware of the delay are reportedly falling foul of unofficial websites that employ similar layouts and domain names as official EU web pages.

"If you use one of these sites, not only will you lose money, you are also putting your personal data at risk as well," Petherbridge said. "What I can’t stress is enough that you can’t, and shouldn’t - apply for an Etias now."

Reiterating the number of sites offering Etias before launch, he added: "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."

According to the most recent update from the official Etias site: " ETIAS is currently not in operation and no applications for travel authorisations are collected at this point".

"The European Union will inform about the specific date for the start of ETIAS several months prior to its launch."