# Dozens of fake Etias sites sell false travel permits, Frontex warns

> Travellers from outside the EU will soon have to apply online for an Etias permit to enter the Netherlands, and Frontex says fake sites are already selling false ones.

News · published 2026-10-17 17:37 · https://nlnow.nl/a/frontex-warns-of-dozens-of-fake-etias-travel-permit-websites/

Frontex, the European border and coast guard agency, warns that dozens of fake websites have appeared where people can buy a false Etias travel authorisation.

The Etias system is not yet active, yet Frontex says the fake sites are already offering the authorisation to buyers.

## Background

- **Frontex (Europees grens- en kustwachtagentschap)**: Frontex is the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, an EU agency that supports member states with the management of the external borders of the Schengen area. It helps with border checks, coast guard tasks and the return of people who do not have a right to stay. Its warnings, such as those about fake travel authorisation websites, are issued to help travellers avoid fraud.
- **Etias (Europees Reisinformatie- en Autorisatiesysteem)**: Etias is the European Travel Information and Authorisation System, an online travel authorisation for non-EU nationals who do not need a visa to enter the Schengen area. Applicants apply online and pay a fee, and the application is checked against EU security and border databases before travel. The authorisation is not a visa, and it is not a document that can be bought from third-party websites.

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