ETIAS visa: for which countries will it be required

The ETIAS visa is a measure that is part of a program developed by the European Commission to keep track of people who, starting from non-European countries, enter a Member State of the Schengen area, which includes 26 countries, of which 22 are also part of the European Union, and the other 4 of EFTA, or the European Free Trade Association.

Citizens of member countries can move freely from one country to another without the need to show a visa, while today even citizens of some non-European countries could enter Europe without a visa, and these are precisely those who from 2023 will have to apply for an ETIAS visa.

Countries requiring ETIAS visa

From the moment it enters into force, the ETIAS visa will be required to enter the 26 countries belonging to the Schengen area, but also in four micro-states that are de facto members, i.e. they are not formally part of the agreement but adopt the same policies, being within the territories of countries part of the Schengen area.

Specifically, therefore, we can say that the ETIAS visa will be necessary to travel to the following countries:

• Member States of the European Union: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden.
• EFTA member countries: Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland.
• De facto micro-Member States : Andorra, Monaco, San Marino, Vatican City.

At the moment you do not need an ETIAS visa to enter Bulgaria, Cyprus, Croatia, Ireland and Romania.

However this could change in the future if one of these countries becomes a member of the Schengen area.

The ETIAS visa must be requested by citizens holding a passport from the following countries: Albania, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Chile, Colombia, South Korea, Costa Rica, El Salvador, United Arab Emirates, Georgia, Japan, Grenada, Guatemala, Honduras, Hong Kong, Israel, Kiribati, Macao, Macedonia, Malaysia, Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Mexico, Micronesia, Moldova, Montenegro, Nicaragua, New Zealand, Palau, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, United Kingdom, Dominican Republic, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and Grenadines, Samoa, Serbia, Seychelles, Singapore, Solomon Islands, United States of America, Taiwan, Timor-Este, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tuvalu, Ukraine, Uruguay, Venezuela.

ETIAS visa application

All persons in possession of a passport of the countries mentioned, will be able to apply online for the ETIAS visa, directly from the official website and with a procedure that lasts about 10 minutes. Before starting, you will need to make sure you have your passport with you, which must be a biometric , and an e-mail address to which the visa will be sent.

In addition, it will also be necessary to have a debit or credit card in order to pay the application fee of after completing the visa application form. This tax is only applicable to citizens between 18 and 70 years old, while all others can receive the visa free of charge.

Generally, most visa applications are approved within a few minutes, but if this is not the case within a maximum 4 days, the applicant will be notified of the status of taking charge of the visa, and may be contacted to provide further information or documents. If your ETIAS visa is denied, you can still apply for a European Schengen visa, or file an appeal.

Once the ETIAS visa has been received by e-mail, it will be valid for three years from the date of issue, and can be used for an unlimited number of trips to the countries of the Schengen area, provided that these each have a duration of less than 90 days, and take place for tourism, work, medical, or transit reasons. . In addition, while in possession of the ETIAS visa it is also possible to move freely between one country and another in the Schengen area without presenting other documents.

If you decide to extend your stay in Europe beyond the 90 day period, you will need to obtain a special visa corresponding to the reasons for the extension of the trip, such as a study visa or a work visa.