ETIAS stands for European Travel Information and Authorization System. It is introduced by the European Union to protect its borders as well as to deal with the immigration issue. ETIAS are only mandatory for the people who were earlier allowed to travel any of the total 44 countries European Countries without having to acquire their visa. The countries such as New Zealand, Australia, Canada and the United States. Including this there are a total of 61 countries worldwide whose citizens do not need a visa to stay in the European Nations. But now Europe has a new travel authorization system for these citizens.
People who always needed a visa to visit these countries belonging to the Schengen Border area or Europe will remain unaffected with the introduction of this new visa-waiver system by the continent. The travel procedure will be same for them as earlier. They will continue needing their visa and other travel documents.
The procedure of applying for ETIAS is as easy as filling out an application form online. It is way easier than the procedure of applying for a passport. ETIAS application will not require you to sit through interviews or answer a series of questions or the involvement of other security procedures. Just go to the official site, there you will get an online application form to apply for your ETIAS.
The form will require you to fill your basic details. It will have several sections where you will need to put your name, last name, middle name, date of birth, contact number, gender, nationality, place of birth, etc. But please note that you can only apply for ETIAS if you have a valid passport, that means if you don’t have a passport or your passport is expired then you are not eligible for applying for ETIAS.
They are mandatory for everyone regardless of age. That means children below the age of 18 who are considered minors, and the people above the age of 70 will also have to apply for their own ETIAS. The cost of applying for ETIAS is seven euros, but it will be absolutely free for you if you belong to either the minor or the old-age category.
You will receive the decision of your eligibility within minutes. As soon as you get your ETIAS you will be permitted to stay in the European nations for three months without a visa. The validity of your ETIAS will be three years from the date of issue, but it will not be valid if you have an expired passport.
Another thing to note is that this European Travel Information and Authorization System is only valid if you are visiting any of these European nations as a tourist or for any kind of Business purposes. It also includes the transit and medical purposes. But you are not allowed to visit these countries for education or employment purposes. They will be in action from 1st January 2021.
