Under the proposed ETIAS application process, 60 countries will be eligible to apply for ETIAS online. ETIAS travel authorizations will apply first to those who do not currently need a visa to enter Europe. These countries include the United States, New Zealand, and Australia, as well as a wide range of other eligible countries. Please note that toward the end of 2021, the citizens of all visa-exempt countries outside the European Union will be required to complete an ETIAS application before their trip to the Schengen Area.

According to the European Commission, ETIAS will integrate with and complement existing security databases, such as the as Schengen Information System (SIS), as well as those still in development like the Entry Exit System (EES). The EES will allow authorities to get a closer look at cross-border movement and travel history data. ETIAS will be integrated and interoperable with other EU authorization systems and will automatically cross-check each application against the Schengen Information System (SIS) Europe’s most often used security database, in place since 2013. SIS contains more than 80 million records

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.

The ETIAS form is accessed directly online. You’ll be prompted to provide your passport details and asked to answer a list of security questions, so have your valid passport handy before you begin. You’ll also need a credit or debit card to complete the process. Once you’re finished, the form is submitted immediately. Read extra details on ETIAS EU.