ETIAS
ETIAS Authorisation 2024 – European Travel Information and Authorisation System
There are lots of countries that are not members of the European Union (EN), whose citizens are eligible to gain entry into the EU Schengen Territory without a visa. To be specific, there are presently about 62 different countries that are not members of the EU, but need no visa to access the Schengen territory
Thus, citizens from these countries can gain entry into countries that are within the Schengen Territory for the purpose of business or just for travelling for a period of 90 days. Within this 90-day period, these visitors can neither study or work, but they are able to engage in tourist and business activities, according to the law
Furthermore, due to recent security threats associated with terrorist activities as well as the crisis involving migrants, the management of persons been allowed to gain entrance within the EU borders have been tightened. The EU have reiterated continuously about its plans to ensure that travelling within the borders of the union is made safer and more secured. In order to minimize waiting periods as well as procedures, as well as tackle concerns about security, the European Commission (EC), have been able to develop a solution to the aforementioned challenges – the ETIAS
This post will analyse the ETIAS as well as everything that has to do with it to reveal the particular category of people that qualify for this system
ETIAS is an acronym for the new European Travel Information and Authorization System. The system is completely electronic and it enables and monitors visitors that are from countries that so not require a visa to gain access to the Schengen Territory. In some ways, it looks more like the U.S Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA), that performs a similar function. The legal process to legalize the ETIAS system had actually started since 2016, and the new system is expected to be implemented in 2021
The ETIAS will be used to conduct a rigorous security assessment of every applicant to discover if they can be granted access into any country within the Schengen Territory. Because citizens from countries that do not require a visa to travel and can stay for up to 90 days without a long visa application process, the new system -the ETIAS, will ensure that these group of people do not become a threat to security. The travel system for authorization shall be to gather, track, and give updates on visitors to discover if it is safe for this people to be granted entry into the Schengen Territory
The ETIAS, apart from it’s tourist and business purposes, will also be used to enable people to visit countries in the Schengen Territory for the purposes of medical and travel transit. Additionally, it will be made to be mandatory for every country that is free from applying for the Schengen visa
During his address to the European Union back in 2016, Jean-Claude Juncker, the European Commission President, had said that the system was needed for a simple reason. He had mentioned that the European Commission have the need to be aware of the people that are crossing their borders. He has said that with this new system in place, they would be aware of whomever is on their way to Europe even before they set their foot on European soil. The primary reason that the ETIAS authorization system had been approved is because of security. Due to an increase in risk of travellers across the world, the EU is looking to make sure that travelling within its member countries is made safer. This new ETIAS system will significantly minimize the concerns relating to security with the use of its data and information gathering systems. This basically means that the ETIAS is capable of identifying anyone that is a threat to the security of any one of the countries in the Schengen territory. This will cause the person not to be allowed into the EU and avoid them from being a threat once they are inside the borders of the EU. Therefore, the ETIAS is meant to proactively deal with a threat before they get close to the EU. Apart from ensuring that travellers are increasingly secure, the new ETIAS system of authorization also will help countries within the EU as well as every traveller in these following ways
Minimize the time period of applications and procedures
Enhance the management of the borders of the countries within the EU Territory
It will help in the detection of as well as the reduction of terrorism and crime
It will prevent people from migrating irregularly
It will also enhance the European Union’s policy for visa liberalization
Generally, the new ETIAS system of authorization will ensure that people that are travelling to countries in the EU are safe and meant to go through less hassles
As have been mentioned earlier, the ETIAS is meant for citizens from countries that are eligible to gain access into the EU territory without a visa. Thus, this 62 countries are required to obtain an ETIAS authorization
Andorra – Albania – Argentina – Antigua and Barbuda – Australia – Barbados – Bahamas – Bosnia and Herzegovina – Brunei – Brazil – Canada – Costa Rica – Colombia – Chile – Dominica – El Salvador – Grenada – Georgia – Guatemala – Hong Kong – Honduras – Israel – Japan – Kiribati – Macedonia – Macao – Marshall Islands – Malaysia – Mauritius – Mexico – Moldova – Micronesia – Montenegro – Nicaragua – New Zealand – Paraguay – Palau – Peru – Panama – Saint Lucia – Saint Kitts and Nevis – Samoa – Saint Vincent – Serbia – Singapore – Seychelles – South Korea – Solomon Islands – Tonga – Taiwan – Trinidad and Tobago – Timor Leste – Tuvalu – United Arab Emirates – Ukraine – United States of America – Uruguay – Venezuela – Vanuatu
As at the unveiling of the new system around 2021, more countries could be included on the list, however, as at present, every citizen from countries that have been mentioned would be mandated by law to get the ETIAS authorization prior to accessing any country within the EU
The new ETIAS system has been made to be simple and is meant to be a time saver for applicants as well as the processing duration. Technically, the people looking to get an approval are mandated to go through the following steps in order to apply for the ETIAS
Expectedly, the application for the ETIAS takes about 10 minutes to be filled completely. It is an internet based application, therefore all need for paperwork are eliminated. Depending on the country whose citzenship you select, several fields would be presented for filling. Applicants are mandated to provide the following details about themselves
Biometric data and information like
First name
Surname
Birth last name
Date of birth
Birth location
Citizenship Information
Address
Email and phone number
Education and professional work experience
The first EU country of visit
Background plus questions about your eligibility that will ask for information about your medical situation, travel history to countries involved in war or places that you had been deported or rejected, in addition to any available criminal records
Records the case of minors, their legal guardian would have to apply for the ETIAS
For family relations for citizens who are in EU countries, a proof of relationship must be submitted along with the residence card well as any background information
The moment that the application have been completed, applicants will have to pay their fees and submit their applications. The system will have to perform the following functions
Verify if the information provided was correct
Verify the eligibility of each applicant
Assess the risk factor of each applicant
If the information provided in the application form have been confirmed to be true, then the applicant is deemed eligible and not a risk to the ETIAS system, which will lead to their application being approved. This entire process is expectedly completed in just a short time But then again, if there a hot coming from the ETIAS, then that application would be processed manually. Naturally, this manual process would expectedly last for a period of 96 hours or 4 days, or alternatively, a maximum period of about 2 weeks
An ETIAS system of travel authorization shall be cancelled when the requirements for issuing out the travel authorisation system have not been met, especially when there is a strong case for believing that the authorization for travel was obtained fraudulently
The ETIAS is not meant to be a financial burden to people. The new system is planned to cost about €7 per application. The fee is valid only for adults that are above the age of 18, as people who are below the age of 18 are not charged for their applications. Furthermore, this fee can be paid either through credit or debit card. As soon as the payment have been completed, the processing for the ETIAS authorization system will commence
Below there are questions that are frequently asked has regards to the ETIAS authorization
If or is approved, the ETIAS can possibly be valid for a time period of about 3 years or up until the expiration of the travel papers that were registered during the process of application, depending on whichever situation happens first. Whether an applicant gets the first validity period or the second period of validity is entirely dependent on the way that the system evaluates their risks and information
Within minutes after you have submitted your application, a response concerning your ETIAS application would be provided to you. If you have been approved, congratulations! If you haven’t been approved, the denial message will also be sent to you. Contained in the denial message would also be reasons why you were denied the ETIAS. You could make an appeal on this decision or from the reason of denial, your application can be adjusted and resubmitted
The document that is needed to apply to get the ETIAS is a valid passport. The passport used for the application process can be required to contain this contain
A digital photograph that should not be glued onto the passport
A passport that can be read by a machine – which can be found underneath the passport picture and had about just two lines consisting of numbers, symbols and letters
An electronic passport chip – which may not be mandatory, but is an advantage. The chip can be seen in the passport’s cover page at the lower corner
In order to ensure that your ETIAS authorization is being used correctly, you have to ensure that you initially make a transit through the initial country that was stated in your application. In the case that you had planned to pass through Germany, Austria and Belgium, and in your application, you had mentioned Germany as the first country that you shall be visiting, this means that you will have to first pass through Germany before you can visit Austria and Belgium. As soon as you have been able to enter through your first country, you are free to go to any other country in the Schengen territory within 90 days. Furthermore, it important to note that the ETIAS does not grant you access to countries that are not members of the EU
All citizens from the above table (countries that are allowed access to the EU without using a visa) have the eligibility to make an application for the new ETIAS. Anyone not eligible to make an application for the ETIAS simply means that the person is not a citizen of those countries
No, people that have the Schengen Visa, will not be needing the ETIAS authorization. You could show your visa to the authorities at the border, the moment that you are within any Schengen countries. The moment that your visa expires, then you are able to apply for your ETIAS authorization if eligible