ETIAS regulation in 2022
Traveling to the European Union (EU) goes according to a series of norms and rules that travelers must comply with. Although traveling all within the EU is easy, travelers from countries outside of the EU will find it problematic, for example, due to specific visa requirements.
At the same time, 62 countries are visa-free despite not being in the EU. Visitors from these countries can enter countries in the Schengen Zone for up to 90 days for travel or business purposes.
To make the requirements and the process of traveling to the EU easier and safer than ever, the European Commission (EC) created the new system of travel authorization – ETIAS.
ETIAS – European Travel Information and Authorization System – is an electronic system that resembles the American ESTA and serves to keep track of visitors who don’t need a visa. To find out more about the ETIAS regulation, follow our short guide.
ETIAS Regulation
The Required Documentation – ETIAS Regulation
To apply for ETIAS, the only document you need is a valid passport. It needs to include your digital photograph and a machine-readable zone composed of numbers, letters, and symbols. An electronic passport chip would be an asset but is not mandatory.
Moreover, while submitting your application, you might be asked to submit some additional documents. Ensure the information they contain is provided in the obligatory language to ensure the authorities will be able to decipher it. Otherwise, you will be required to get the documentation translated by the official translating services. For that, use trusted services such as Architekst professional translations or any other trusted company licensed to perform official translations.
Countries That Need ETIAS Authorization
Currently, there are 60 countries that need ETIAS authorization. However, it is bound to change. That’s why, while planning a journey to Europe in 2022, it’s best to check your citizenship beforehand on one of the official Schengen sites, for instance, here.
Filling Out the ETIAS Application Form
Filling out the online application form shouldn’t be very time-consuming or hard, and thus it will take you approximately 20 minutes. You will be given several fields to fill out, their number depending on your country of citizenship. Typically, you will be expected to provide the information, such as personal data (first name, last name, date of birth, citizenship, address, email, phone number, education background, and work experience).
Moreover, you will also be asked to provide information about the first EU country you will be visiting, possible criminal records and eligibility questions regarding medical conditions, etc.
Please note that only a legal guardian can apply for ETIAS of a minor.
After submitting the form, the system will check if the information you provided is correct, your eligibility, and possible risk factors. If everything is right, you will get the approval within a few minutes. However, if, for some reason, the system deems you as ineligible for ETIAS, the application will shift to manual processing. That process might take from 96 hours up to even two weeks.
ETIAS Regulation – Denial
If your application got denied, you are bound to get the denial message within a few minutes from submitting the form. In the message, there will be included a specific reason for the denial.
Typically, the reason provided might be the fact that you’ve used a travel document that is invalidated or reported as lost or stolen. Moreover, you might not have provided all the necessary information within the right deadline, or you might not have attended any extra interview if it was required. For various reasons, you might also be considered high security, epidemic, or illegal immigration risk.
In the case of denial, you’ve got two solutions: you might adjust the application according to the provided reason for rejection and try submitting it again or officially appeal the decision. The procedure of appeal is explained by the ETIAS National Unit of the Member State.
ETIAS Validity
If your application is approved, congrats! Your ETIAS will be valid for three years or until the end of validity of any travel document that you registered in the application, such as passport, whatever comes first.
Conclusion – ETIAS regulation
If you’re traveling from the United States and wondering if you can enter the Schengen area without a visa, you should always check it before travel on one of the official Schengen websites provided above. If you find your citizenship lets you travel without a visa, great! Simply check for how many days you can travel without any additional documentation.
If it turns out you’re eligible for ETIAS, be prepared to go through the process of submitting the official application in this authorization system. Don’t worry, though: the process is solely meant to identify people who provide a particular risk to ETIAS countries. If you comply with all the European Committee regulations for entering the EU, you have nothing to worry about. Have a safe journey!
ETIAS Regulation: 5 Facts About Traveling To Europe in 2022 is a feature post
