Key Points
- Australians will no longer be able to travel to parts of Europe freely by early next year.
- People intending to travel to the Schengen Area will be required to fill out an online visa waiver application.
- Here's what you need to know about the European Travel Authorisation and Information System (ETIAS).
Australians travelling to several parts of Europe will soon need to apply for a visa waiver program in new rules that come into force next year.
In a new entry requirement for the Schengen Area, Australian citizens are among millions of people in more than 60 non-European Union countries in the world that must apply online to waive their requirement for a visa.
For anyone eyeing a trip to Europe from 2024, here's what you need to know about the European Travel Information and Authorisation System, otherwise known as ETIAS.
What is ETIAS?
ETIAS is a new mandatory pre-travel authorisation for countries in the Schengen Area to have information about travellers passing through their states for increased security.
ETIAS is not a visa. It's a pre-screening system designed to waive the requirement of applying for a visa for people travelling for business or travel purposes to the Schengen Area, for up to 90 days.
Those looking to stay in the region for longer than 90 days in a six-month period will need to apply for a Schengen Visa.
Which countries' citizens require ETIAS to enter the area?
There are whose citizens will require ETIAS authorisation to enter the region, including Australia, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada and more.
Map of countries that will require its nationals to apply for ETIAS authorisation, and those that will require ETIAS authorisation to pass their borders. Source: SBS News
These 30 countries will require citizens from 63 countries to apply for an ETIAS to enter the region. Source: SBS News
Norway, Iceland, Switzerland and Liechtenstein are in the Schengen Area but are non-EU member states.
How do I apply?
Travellers can access the ETIAS application online, which should take 10 minutes to fill out. The link will be made available to travellers from next year.
It will ask applicants to fill out standard contact details, like their full name, address, passport information, citizenship, education and work experience, as well as the first EU country they intend to visit.
There will also be questions about a person's criminal history, drug use, human trafficking, previous trips to Europe and past travel to areas of conflict.
Travellers must go to the first country they intended to visit in their application to avoid complications with entry into the area.
Minors must have a legal guardian apply for ETIAS on their behalf.
It will cost around $11 for each Australian applicant aged between 18 and 70 and will be valid for up to three years.
What happens next?
After submitting the application, automated checks will be conducted against EU information systems.
Generally, successful application outcomes are received within a few minutes of paying for the application.
In exceptional circumstances, when doubts arise around the information provided in the ETIAS application, they will be manually processed to by ETIAS National Units to conduct further assessments.
When will the ETIAS authorisation be checked?
Air, sea and overland coach carriers will have an obligation to verify their travellers have the required documentation to enter the Schengen Area.
Upon border checkpoints, security will ask visa-exempt travellers to present their ETIAS authorisation prior to entering.
