Is etias easy to get? Many who intend to visit Europe in the coming months and are looking to apply for Etias would want to know whether it will be easy to obtain after applying. Etias will become mandatory in 2024 for all travelers from visa free countries, and there is an application process they must follow to get it. Keep reading to have all your ETIAS questions answered.
Who Needs It?
ETIAS is not for all travelers to Europe but for a select few. If you are not from a visa free country and need a visa to enter any European country currently for a short visit, you do not qualify for an ETIAS waiver. ETIAS is only for those who don’t need visa waivers to enter Europe. Based on the current count, there are about 63 countries whose citizens do not require visas to enter the Schengen Area. Those who come from any of these countries and have a valid passport to prove it did not require visas before now, but ETIAS will become mandatory by 2024.
Is Etias Easy To Get?
Etias is easy to get because it is an online based application. You don’t need physical or too many documents to apply for it; it is approved within minutes.
Purpose Of ETIAS
The EC announced in 2016 that it was working on a new system to help vet the identity of all visitors visiting the Schengen Area in the coming years using an integrated online system that will pre-screen them. The legislation was passed in 2018, and work began to develop the system. The need to screen every single person coming to Europe has become crucial to the greater security of Europe for the following reasons.
Illegal immigration: The number of migrants flooding EU borders in recent times has quadrupled due to wars, famine, and natural disasters in many Asian and African countries. The influx of migrants has placed many EU countries at huge disadvantages, but policymakers intend to use ETIAS as one of the tools to slow this trend.
Terrorism & Human Trafficking: With the increase in terrorist threats, the EC hopes to prevent the entry of people on the terror watchlist into the continent. They also hope to reduce human trafficking by a significant degree by tracking the countries travelers are coming from and the countries they are planning to visit.
Reduce Health Risk: By collating the brief medical information of every traveler, such as whether they have any existing medical condition or have been to any war zone, governments of European countries will be able to prevent exposed persons from entering the region.
ETIAS Requirements
The applicant must have the following to apply for an Etias visa waiver.
Passport: A valid passport that will cover their stay in Europe. Passports expiring before or on the day of departure will not be accepted.
Email Address: ETIAS is electronically generated, so the applicant will need an email address to receive their approved copy. Only email addresses they have access to should be used.
Card: A debit or credit card with sufficient balance to cover the fee and transaction charges is required.
Applicants should note that only passports used for the application will be accepted at the airport or border crossing. Passports are biometrically linked to the ETIAS document, so bringing a different passport will not be accepted by border officers.
Note: ETIAS is not a visitor visa but a special permit allowing eligible European visitors, and it also doesn’t qualify the holder for residency.
How To Apply For ETIAS?
To apply For ETIAS online, you will need a trusted and secure platform to submit your application which will be transmitted to the ETIAS server. You can use VisaHQ’s third-party application platform to apply for it. Here are the steps to take
Visit VisaHQ
Choose the primary Country you wish to visit
Choose your Country of citizenship
Select ETIAS
Fill out the application form
Attach travel document
Pay application fee
Submit for approval
The form on VisaHQ will only take ten minutes to complete and a few more to process. Once approved, it will be sent to your email address; print it out and bring it with you on your trip.
Visa Free Applicants
Only people from visa-free countries are eligible for Etias. The number of visa-free countries is more than 60, most of which are first-world and second-world countries. So it is your nationality that determines whether you qualify for ETIAS or not. However, a visa-free country visitor may still need a Schengen visa if they plan to stay for more than the approved 90 days.
So is Etias easy to get? It is because you don’t need to visit an embassy or wait weeks for it.
You can complete the form on VisaHQ in minutes and submit it for approval.