1. For a period of six months from the date on which ETIAS starts operations, the use of ETIAS shall be optional and the requirement to be in possession of a valid travel authorisation shall not apply. The Commission may adopt a delegated act in accordance with Article 89 to extend that period for a maximum of a further six months, renewable once.
2. During the period referred to in paragraph 1, Member States shall inform third-country nationals subject to the travel authorisation requirement crossing the external borders of the requirement to have a valid travel authorisation from the expiry of the six-month period. For this purpose, the Member States shall distribute a common leaflet to this category of travellers. The leaflet shall also be made available at the Member States’ consulates in the countries whose nationals fall within the scope of this Regulation.
3. A grace period of six months shall apply following the end of the period referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article. During the grace period, the requirement to be in possession of a valid travel authorisation shall apply. During the grace period the border authorities shall exceptionally allow third-country nationals subject to the travel authorisation requirement who are not in possession of a travel authorisation to cross the external borders where they fulfil all the remaining conditions of Article 6(1) of Regulation (EU) 2016/399, provided that they are crossing the external borders of the Member States for the first time since the end of the period referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article. The border authorities shall inform such third-country nationals of the requirement to be in possession of a valid travel authorisation in accordance with point (b) of Article 6(1) of Regulation (EU) 2016/399. For that purpose, the border authorities shall distribute to those travellers a common leaflet informing them that they are exceptionally allowed to cross the external borders while not fulfilling the obligation to be in possession of a valid travel authorisation and explaining that obligation. The Commission may adopt a delegated act in accordance with Article 89 of this Regulation to extend that period for a maximum of a further six months.
During the period of grace, entries into the territories of the Member States not operating the EES shall not be taken into consideration.
4. The Commission shall, by means of implementing acts, draw up the two common leaflets referred to in paragraphs 2 and 3 of this Article, containing at a minimum the information referred to in Article 71. The leaflets shall be clear and simple and available in at least one of the official languages of each country whose nationals fall within the scope of this Regulation. Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 90(2).
5. During the transitional period referred to in paragraphs 1 and 2 of this Article, the ETIAS Information System shall respond to the carriers’ query referred to in Article 45(2) by providing the carriers with an ‘OK’ answer. During the period of grace referred to in paragraph 3 of this Article, the response sent by the ETIAS Information System to the carriers’ query shall take into consideration whether the third-country national is crossing the external borders of the Member States for the first time since the end of the period referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article.