The requirements for obtaining the ETIAS visa
From the end of 2023, citizens of several non-EU countries will need to present an ETIAS visa to enter the Schengen area. This visa, whose acronym stands for European Travel and Information Authorization System, will be used for trips of less than 90 days, and carried out for tourism, work, transit or medical reasons. Once obtained, this visa will be valid for three years, and will allow you to make an unlimited number of trips to Europe that meet these requirements, and to move freely from one country to another.
In the event that you decide to extend your stay, or the trip has reasons other than those provided for the ETIAS, you will need to apply for the relevant Schengen visa, with the related procedures and requirements.
Countries for which a Schengen visa is required
Both the list of countries that require an ETIAS visa on entry, and that of countries whose citizens will have to apply for a visa to enter Europe, are constantly updated, so before the trip it is good to inquire about the necessary travel documentation.
At the moment, the ETIAS visa will be required upon entry into the European Union for 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, Costa Rica, El Salvador, United Arab Emirates, Georgia, Japan, Grenada, Guatemala, Honduras, Hong Kong, Israel, Kiribati, Macau, 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.
As for European countries, the ETIAS visa will allow you to enter the following countries:
- Schengen countries: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden.
- EFTA (European Free Trade Association) countries: Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland.
- Micro-states with open borders: Andorra, Vatican City, Monaco, San Marino.
How to apply for an ETIAS visa
Similar to the American ESTA and the Canadian eTA, the ETIAS visa can be applied for online, by filling out a form on the official website, and then paying a fee of € , applicable only to citizens aged between 18 and 70 years. Everyone else can apply for the visa for free, and once the payment is completed the application will be taken care of and within a few minutes you will receive the visa by e-mail.
Before filling out the ETIAS visa application form, you will need to make sure you have your passport, an email address to which the visa will be sent, and a credit or debit card to pay the fee. Within the visa application form you will have to enter all the required information, which includes:
- Personal data, including residential address, email address and telephone number
- Data from the passport or travel document you will use to travel to Europe
- Your country of entry into the Schengen area
- Your employment situation at the time of travel
- A questionnaire about your state of health and criminal record , as well as other information on any travel to war zones or immigration inside or outside the European Union.
If you apply for an ETIAS visa for a minor, you must also indicate the personal data of a parent or a responsible legal guardian, while if you have family members or relatives who are citizens of an EU member country, you will also need to provide their data, highlighting the family link with the person applying for the visa.
Once the application is completed, most visas are issued within a few minutes, at most a few hours, and are sent in the form of a PDF file to the e-mail address provided. If there are any problems, the applicant will be contacted so that we can provide any other information or documents necessary to complete the verification of the data. If the visa is denied, you can apply for a normal Schengen visa, or file an appeal.
