ETIAS Requirements

If you are a non-EU citizen and want to travel to Europe or the Schengen Area, you might need ETIAS approval from 2025 on. However, ETIAS is only available for certain travelers. Learn all about the ETIAS requirements for traveling to the EU.

Only nationals from visa waiver countries can apply for the electronic travel authorization ETIAS as soon as the system is implemented. This means that non-EU travelers from countries who needed a classic visa to the EU and Schengen Area before will continue to need one even after the start of ETIAS.

Nationals of the following countries are allowed to travel to the EU and Schengen Area visa-free and thus will be eligible for ETIAS:

¹The visa exemption applies only to holders of biometric passports.

²Excluding holders of Serbian passports issued by the Serbian Coordination Directorate (in Serbian: Koordinaciona uprava)

³The visa exemption applies only to holders of a "Hong Kong Special Administrative Region" passport.

⁴The visa exemption applies only to holders of a "Região Administrativa Especial de Macau" passport.

⁵The exemption from the visa requirement applies only to holders of passports issued by Taiwan which include an identity card number.

⁶Including British Overseas Nationals (BOTC, BOC), British protected persons (BPP), and British Subjects (BS)

However, in addition to nationality, there are more requirements that ETIAS travelers will have to fulfill. For example, applicants must:

• have a passport (electronic passport or e-passport with a chip and machine-readable data zone) that is valid for at least three months after their planned leaving date
• have a debit or credit card
• plan to enter the EU or Schengen Area only for touristic purposes, short business trips, medical travel, or transit for up to 90 days
• answer the ETIAS security questions (e.g., about contagious diseases or criminal history) to the satisfaction of EU and Schengen border guards
• pass a security screening by border guards who are using databases of national law enforcement agencies and Europol
• be able to pay the € 7 ETIAS fee

Travelers who do not fit these requirements or have a passport from a country that is not visa-waived will have to apply for a visa at the respective embassy or consulate of the country they are planning to travel to.

To get ETIAS approval for traveling to the EU or Schengen Area, your passport must be biometric, valid for at least three months after you are planning to return to your home country, and not older than 10 years.

Please note that not all valid passports from visa-free countries fulfill international passport requirements. Citizens of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine, Serbia, Hong Kong S.A.R., Macao S.A.R., and Taiwan need to double-check if their passports are biometric and in line with the standards of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).

Citizens of Hong Kong need a “Hong Kong Special Administrative Region“ passport, and citizens of Macao need a “Região Administrativa Especial de Macau“ passport.

When applying for ETIAS travel authorization to enter Europe or the Schengen Area, you must answer several questions about your criminal history and travel history.

These questions help immigration authorities evaluate your suitability to enter the country with ETIAS. Travelers who do not answer the security questions to the satisfaction of the border guards will not receive ETIAS approval and will, therefore, need to apply for a visa for travel to Europe and the Schengen Area.

When applying for ETIAS, you are required to submit personal data such as:

• Your name (s)
• Your date and place of birth
• Your nationality
• Your home address
• Your parents’ names
• Your email address
• Your phone number
• Your passport details
• Details about your level of education
• Your current occupation
• Your travel history
• Your travel plans within the ETIAS countries
• Details about your criminal history

You will also need to confirm that you understand the entry requirements of the countries you are entering.

Should you apply for ETIAS on behalf of another person, you will have to give information on your relationship and state that you have been delegated the authority to apply for their ETIAS or are their legal guardian (in the case of minors).

When traveling with ETIAS approval, you can only enter certain countries within the EU and Schengen Area for touristic purposes or short business trips of up to 90 days. The following countries will participate in the ETIAS program and can, therefore, be traveled with a valid ETIAS approval:

Upon entering one of the ETIAS countries, make sure you are familiar with the local entry requirements.