The new European travel authorization system, ETIAS, will start in 2025. For former visa-free visitors to the EU and Schengen Area, this means an extra step before traveling. Learn how to apply for ETIAS step by step.
The new travel authorization system ETIAS will be launched by the European Commission, following the USA’s example of ESTA. The system includes an automatic identity and eligibility check of all travelers to the EU and the Schengen Area to protect and strengthen borders.
Travelers of around 60 non-EU nationalities must apply for ETIAS from 2025 on if they want to travel to one of the ETIAS countries for tourism, business trips, transit, or medical treatments for up to 90 days.
ETIAS is not a visa, which makes the application process extremely fast, easy, and affordable. Compared with the Schengen visa at € 80, ETIAS costs only € 7, and its approval takes only a maximum of 96 hours instead of up to 60 days.
Nevertheless, purpose-built visas for all countries participating in the ETIAS program remain available. They must be applied for at the consulates or embassies if a trip to the EU and Schengen Area lasts longer than 90 days, is made to work or study in the EU and Schengen Area, or cannot be covered by the ETIAS permit for other reasons.
Travelers to the EU and Schengen Area who do not have passports from visa-waiver countries still need to apply for visas for all visits, even after the implementation of ETIAS.
As soon as the EU launches the ETIAS website and app in 2025, you will have to create an account first and verify your email address before you can start entering your details in the ETIAS application form.
For an ETIAS application, you will need:
Should you not meet all requirements, you will either not be able to finish your ETIAS application, or your request will be denied (e.g., if automatic data matching reveals that you have a criminal past).
In a 2023 press release, the EU clarified that ETIAS travelers will not have to provide health information, vaccination records, or biometric data.
However, it says that travelers will have to answer some security questions so that the system can assess whether they pose a threat to the Schengen area and the EU. These include questions about criminal records and travel to conflict zones.
All applications will be checked against EU security databases before making a decision. According to the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex), 97% of applicants will have their ETIAS application processed and approved immediately.
The remaining 3% of applications will be manually reviewed by the ETIAS Central Unit and National Units to make a final decision.
The ETIAS application form will ask you for the following information:
With completing an ETIAS application, you agree to have your data checked against several databases like the ones of Interpol and Europol and the Schengen Information System.
Always stick to the truth when filling out your ETIAS application. False or misleading information may result in an entry ban for the EU and Schengen Area.
On top of credit and debit cards, the EU plans to include digital payment methods in the new ETIAS web service and apps. So we can expect that in the future, payment methods such as Paypal will be included in the system.
The ETIAS online registration and application process will not take more than 10 minutes on the ETIAS web application or app. You will complete the following tasks when applying for ETIAS:
In most cases, approval should be granted within a few minutes or, at the latest, after 96 hours. Your ETIAS travel authorization is valid for three years and allows you to enter the EU and Schengen Area as often as you like within these three years, but only for 90 days in a row within a period of 180 days.
Do you have further questions on the ETIAS application? Then you will surely find what you’re looking for in our FAQ.
Instead of an occupation and the name and address of your employer, you can also write “self-employed,” “pupil,” “student,” “child” (when applying on behalf of children), “homemaker,” “stay-at-home parent,” or whatever describes your current employment status best.
If you have to answer “yes” to one of the ETIAS security questions, e.g., the ones on past crimes, your ETIAS application will most likely be rejected. However, that does not mean you can’t travel to the EU and Schengen Area. Instead of ETIAS, you can apply for a Schengen visa at the embassy or consulate of the country you want to travel to.
Incidentally, relevant crimes in this question are those that resulted in serious harm or property damage and were police-registered. If you only got a fine for speeding, you can answer "no" on the security question about your criminal history.
The occasional use of substances that are legal in your country does not mean that you can not travel with ETIAS. However, should you have an addiction, you must answer “yes” to the security question and will likely have to apply for a visa instead of ETIAS.
Frontex has more than doubled the team size that will help run the central unit of ETIAS. Frontex staff will, amongst processing and screening applications, perform helpdesk assistance functions to support ETIAS applicants and carriers.