Eti
ETIAS Basic Service
For citizens of visa-free third countries. Valid for 3 years, multiple entries, max. 90 days within any 180-day period.
What is ETIAS?
The ETIAS travel authorisation (European Travel Information and Authorisation System) is an electronic pre-screening by the European Union for travellers from visa-free third countries. It is applied for online before travel and is mandatory for entry into the Schengen area (29 countries).
ETIAS is not a visa. It is a fast security pre-screening — comparable to the US ESTA, the UK ETA, or the AU ETA.
Who needs ETIAS?
Citizens of around 63 visa-free third countries, including:
- North America: USA, Canada
- United Kingdom (post-Brexit: UK citizens need ETIAS from Q4 2026)
- Latin America: Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, and more
- Asia-Pacific: Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan
- Middle East: Israel, United Arab Emirates
- Eastern / South-East Europe (non-EU): Albania, Serbia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia
No ETIAS needed for:
- EU citizens and citizens of Schengen-associated states (Norway, Iceland, Switzerland, Liechtenstein) — free movement
- Dual citizens with an EU passport, when entering on the EU passport
- Holders of a valid Schengen visa or residence permit
Visa-required nationalities (e.g. India, China, Russia, Türkiye, Morocco) still need a Schengen visa — not ETIAS.
Validity, length of stay, conditions
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Validity | 3 years from issue — or until passport expiry, whichever comes first |
| Stay rule | 90 days within any 180-day period (Schengen standard) |
| Entries | Multiple entries during validity |
| Official EU fee | €20 (free for under 18 / over 70) |
| Processing time | ~95% automated within minutes; up to 96 hours for additional checks, exceptionally longer |
| Permitted purposes | Tourism, business, transit, family visit, short study, medical treatment |
| Not permitted | Employment, long-term study (>90 days), residence |
Requirements
- Valid biometric passport (machine-readable zone present)
- At least 3 months remaining beyond travel end date
- Passport not older than 10 years
- Valid email address
- Payment method (credit/debit card / online payment)
Application — 6 steps
- Online application (10–20 minutes): personal data, passport data, travel plan, security questions.
- Pay the fee — €20 EU fee.
- Automated check against EU databases (SIS, VIS, Europol, Interpol).
- Manual review, if any flag is raised — rare.
- Approval by email — ETIAS is digitally linked to your passport.
- Travel — show your passport at the Schengen external border, the officer sees the ETIAS automatically.
What happens if you are refused?
If refused, you receive a written explanation by email. In most cases the issue can be corrected (e.g. a wrong answer) and a new application made. If permanently refused, a formal appeal procedure with the competent national ETIAS Unit is available.
How we help
We review your data before submission for plausibility and completeness — the most common ETIAS rejection reason is inconsistent or incomplete answers. With our service:
- Multilingual online form (DE/EN/FR/NL)
- Passport scan with automatic MRZ extraction — no typos
- Plausibility review by our team
- Status updates by email at every step
- PDF confirmation + Power of Attorney
- Optional reminder 30 days before expiry (Premium)
The official €20 ETIAS fee is always shown separately and transparently — no hidden mark-up.