ETIAS (European Travel Information and Authorization System) will be finally implemented in 2024, as European Union authorities have confirmed. All details are being shaped up and one of the most important ones is the fact that the applicants will be given the option to have an online interview in order to get their travel authorization accepted, when their application is going under a more thorough review.

This is one great feature that the new ETIAS offers, instead of having to go through a physical interview in the Consulate nearest applicant´s home. When the approval is delaying more than 96 hours it means that more information will be required. If the additional information submitted is not sufficient yet, then there will be a notification for an interview and the Consulate will give the opportunity to choose between online videocall or physical presence. The final decision will be made within 48 hours after the interview is finished.

Audio and video communication should be easy during the application procedure, taking into account the latest technological advances and offering different ways of conducting a remote interview, considering that not all countries have access to the same technologies. Therefore, it is necessary to define the requirements applicable to the means of remote communication by audio and video. These requirements should include rules on data protection, security and confidentiality, so that the applicant can be a hundred per cent sure that his/her data is not vulnerable. Also, when the interview starts to be recorded, the applicant will be accordingly informed about it and will have to give approval.

For this purpose, the European Union Agency for the Operational Management of Large-Scale Information Systems in the area of Freedom, Security and Justice (eu-LISA) is analyzing the description of audio and video communications tools available in the market, comparing them with the requirements established in the law, and is pre-selecting the audio and video communication instruments that will be used in the applications which a digital online interview will be necessary for.

Finally, eu-LISA will provide Member States with a list of suitable instruments that are recommended, and ETIAS National Units will use:

a)  An instrument selected from the list of suitable instruments provided by eu-LISA.

b)  Any other instrument that meets the requirements, and the ETIAS National Units will be responsible for analyzing and monitoring the operation of such instruments.