Official Etias
According to the approved agreement made by the European Parliament this July once the ETIAS system is established, it will pre-screen travellers from visa waiver countries in order to identify security and migration risks. When arriving at the border of any European country member of the Schengen Area, travellers will need to have a valid ETIAS and a valid travel document.
ETIAS, the European Travel and Information System set to roll out in January 2021, will help keep Europe’s Schengen Area a visa-free zone while tightening security, border control and filling information gaps. According to the European Commission, border authorities and law enforcement have little to no information on those who travel visa-free – a luxury tourists have enjoyed when visiting the Schengen countries. Beginning January 2021, eligible visitors can still travel visa-free, but only with an approved ETIAS waiver.
Approved ETIAS applicants can travel in and between countries in the Schengen Area, for up to 90 days within a 180-day period. Qualifying travel purposes include tourism, short-term business reasons such as a conference or client meeting, short-term education such as an internship, and medical procedures. ETIAS approval is valid for 3 years with no travel limit, as long as the traveler has a passport not expiring for 90 days from the day of arrival abroad. However, your ETIAS expires when your passport does.
ETIAS, the European Travel Information System, provides qualifying visitors a visa waiver when traveling to the Schengen Area, a group of European countries that have agreed upon who can visit and how long they can stay. The Schengen Area was created by the European Union, or EU, in the spirit of harmonious and free travel between borders and has grown to 26 countries – most are in the EU but some are not. Given the influx of international travelers to the Schengen Area, more comprehensive security checks have had to be put in place. ETIAS, much like ESTA in the United States, will create centralized data on who is visiting and why, providing enhanced security for all.
An ETIAS travel authorisation does not reintroduce visa-like obligations. There is no need to go to a consulate to make an application, no biometric data is collected and significantly less information is gathered than during a visa application procedure. Whereas, as a general rule, a Schengen visa procedure can take up to 15 days, and can in some cases be extended up to 30 or 60 days, the online ETIAS application only takes a few minutes to fill in. The validity will be for a period of three years, significantly longer than the validity of a Schengen visa. An ETIAS authorisation will be valid for an unlimited number of entries.
To apply for an ETIAS, you must be a citizen of one of 61 ETIAS eligible countries. The United States is on the eligible list. At the very latest, you should apply for ETIAS 5 days before your trip. The sooner, the better. Your approved ETIAS will last for three years, but it will expire when your passport does – whichever comes first. If you have less than 3 years before your passport expires when you apply for ETIAS, you will have to re-apply for ETIAS when you get a new passport. Read extra details at ETIAS Visa.