In November 2016 the Commission proposed to establish a European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS) to strengthen security checks on people currently traveling visa-free to the EU, citizens of around 60 countries.

ETIAS is a large automated system created to identify security problems, irregular migration or high risk of epidemics, all possibly coming from future visitors to the Schengen zone, while allowing a large number of visitors who do not pose these risks for the area. All foreigners who do not have residence in the EU and who can currently visit the Schengen zone without a visa, have to fill out and show an approved ETIAS travel authorization before starting their trip. The information collected through ETIAS allows, respecting fundamental rights and the principles of information protection, to have data in advance on any risk of epidemics, security problems and possible irregular immigration.

After submitting the form online, the system will check the information files and borders of the European Union, and in the vast majority of cases it will reply with approval in just a few minutes. In very limited cases the system will need to do more extensive checks on the traveler in question and authorization can take up to 30 days. That is why it is advisable to make the request well before the purchase of the plane tickets, or the transport used, and to make any reservation and payment related to the trip. The ETIAS travel authorization will be mandatory to enter the countries of the Schengen area. It will be checked by the border agents along with the travel document upon arrival at the border of the European Union. This requirement will help expedite border checks for all visa waiver nationals with an approved ETIAS. It will avoid bureaucracy and delays for travelers when they arrive at the border and will substantially reduce the number of rejections and deportations that often occur at these points of entry.

Thanks to ETIAS, the authorities receive vital and necessary information to identify individuals who may represent a potential risk to the country of destination, and if that were the case, the authorization would be denied. Schengen States are able to control their external borders more efficiently and improve their internal security. Travelers have the application result and approval well in advance of their journey, making legal travel across Schengen borders much easier.

The eu-LISA system (European Agency that controls large-scale IT systems in the area of ​​freedom, security and justice) is responsible for the development of ETIAS, and it is expected to be operational by the end of 2024. The ETIAS regulation ensures taking the necessary measures for a smooth transition as the new system is put into operation.

ETIAS is just one of the measures taken as part of the Security Union. It will help to achieve the objectives of the European Security Agenda, as well as the European Migration Agenda in particular with regard to border management in the prevention of cross-border crime and terrorism.

The European Commission first introduced the ETIAS concept in April 2016 and adopted the proposal in November of the same year. After several negotiations with the European Parliament and Council, the ETIAS Regulation 2018/1240 was adopted on September 12, 2018 and became effective on October 9, 2018.

The ETIAS authorization is not a visa. Nationalities that can currently travel without a visa to the Schengen area still do not need a visa, but will have to obtain their approved ETIAS online before traveling. ETIAS is an easy and fast system that will facilitate the approval in minutes for more than 95% of the applications submitted.

The ETIAS travel authorization avoids having to go to an embassy or a consulate to submit the application, biometric information is not required and the information that is requested is considerably less information than in the visa process. Normally the application process for a Schengen visa takes about 15 days, and sometimes it can be extended to 30 and 60 days, whereas the ETIAS online application only takes a few minutes to complete and submit for approval. Only in some exceptional cases the resolution can take up to 30 days. Once ETIAS is approved, it will be valid for 3 years, longer than the Schengen visa, and will not have an entry limit.

The ETIAS travel authorization is a necessary but simple requirement for all travelers of visa-exempt nationality, which will allow them to avoid bureaucracy and wait at the borders of the Schengen area. ETIAS respects the visa-free status of these travelers, facilitates entry into Schengen countries and allows them to fully enjoy their status.

Visa liberalization is an important tool for building partnerships with third countries and increases the attractiveness of the European Union for business and tourism. Mandatory verification and assessment in advance of the potential security and irregular immigration risks of visa-free travelers intending to enter the Schengen area, while respecting their visa-free status, helps to safeguard and complement the success of the Schengen policy. visa release. Adding another level of information and risk assessment will allow visitors to fully enjoy their visa-free status, while improving security within the Schengen zone. Travelers get a prior indication about their entry into Schengen and can thus better plan their visit.

Travelers who are about to enter the Schengen area have to fill out an easy online application, the ETIAS form. In order to meet this requirement, you must  have on hand the travel document that you will use to get around, usually your passport. In case of not being able to present the ETIAS application personally, it may be managed by a third person authorized by the interested party.

Once the ETIAS form has been filled out with all the relevant data required, it is necessary to pay a fee of €7 for all applicants between the ages of 18 and 70. The rest of the applicants have to fill out the ETIAS form in the same way, but they are exempt from paying the fee.

Once the payment is made, the ETIAS application will be formally submitted online, and the automated evaluation process is activated. The vast majority of ETIAS applications, an estimated 95%, are approved in a few minutes through automatic approval and the result is communicated to the applicant. If there is a match with any of the databases, or an automatic ETIAS approval is not reached, the application will be manually evaluated by the Central Unit of the European Coast and Border Guard Agency, or by the team of the member state where the applicant is going. This situation can prolong the resolution of the ETIAS up to 96 hours. In very exceptional circumstances, more information will be requested from the applicant and the ETIAS resolution will be reached in approximately 4 weeks from the date of the online submission.

Approximately of the remaining 5% of ETIAS applications have some data matching the databases, 3-4% are approved by the ETIAS Central Unit after verifying the applicant’s information. The remaining 1% is delivered to the national ETIAS Units to make a manual decision. The result of the ETIAS application is transmitted to the applicant by email  with a valid travel authorization, or a justification for the refusal.

If the travel authorization is denied, the applicant has the right to appeal. The appeal can be made to the member state that has made the rejection decision according to its national laws. The applicant will be informed which national authority is responsible for the process and decision of the approval of his travel permit, as well as all the information on how to proceed for the appeal. If the traveler believes that they have been treated unfairly, they have the right to request access to relevant and related information through the national authority.

The travel authorization will be valid for a maximum of 3 years or until the validity of the travel document, whichever occurs earlier.

Before boarding: both airlines and shipping companies or land transport in vehicles, have the obligation to verify the status of the documentation necessary to enter the Schengen area, including the ETIAS travel authorization. It is being evaluated to apply a transitional period, for land transport, in which it will not be necessary temporarily to present a valid travel permit.

As we arrive at the point of the border where we cross into the Schengen area, the border agent will go through the reader our travel document to record the data electronically, and at that moment the system will make checks in different databases, including a query to the system ETIAS in the case of visa-exempt travelers. If there is no valid ETIAS authorization, the border guard will deny entry, and proceed to include the traveler in the Entry and Exit System registry.

If there is a valid travel authorization, the normal border control process will be carried out and the traveler will be admitted to enter the Schengen area, as long as they meet all the requirements, otherwise they will be denied entry according to the Schengen border code.

Although the travel authorization is valid for 3 years, it is possible that it will be revoked or annulled if the necessary conditions that maintain the valid authorization are no longer met.

Border and police authorities currently have very little information on people who cross the European Union border free of visas. This is not the case for people traveling with a Schengen visa, whose information can be checked by border agents in the VIS system (Visa Information System). By ensuring that all visitors are screened prior to their arrival, ETIAS will close an important information gap. It helps to identify possible potential security risks and also related to illegal immigration, before visa-free travelers arrive at the border of the European Union, and thus better monitor who crosses its borders.

In line with the interoperability strategy proposed in the Communication on Stronger and Intelligent Information Systems for Borders and Security of April 6, 2016, ETIAS was designed to be operational with existing systems and those that were being developed such as the Entry/Exit System (EES).

ETIAS will reuse the hardware and software components of the EES system as much as possible, as well as its communication infrastructure. Interoperability will also be established with the other information systems that ETIAS will consult, such as the Visa Information System (VIS), Europol data, the Schengen Information System (SIS), Eurodac and the Information System of European criminal files. – Third Country Nationals (ECRIS-TCN).

At the time of verification and evaluation of the information provided by the permit applicant, the system will automatically cross each application with the following controls:

• Existing EU systems:
  • * Schengen Information System (SIS)
  • * Visa Information System (VIS)
  • * Europol
  • * EURODAC database
• Future EU IT systems:
  • Entry/Exit System (EES)
• Interpol databases:
  • Interpol database of lost and stolen travel documents.
  • Interpol Travel Documents Associated Advisory Database (TDAWN)
• ETIAS specific database containing a list of suspects or with special risk
  indicators.

The finalization of the negotiations regarding the modifications of ETIAS is pending, which should in the future be able to consult ECRIS-TCNs.

ETIAS contributes very significantly to closing security information leaks by providing information in this regard, as well as irregular migration and public health. It helps the authorities of the member States to identify individuals who may pose a risk, and to carry out the necessary actions before they reach the external border of the Schengen area.

More specifically, the system improves the detection of illegal human trafficking (particularly cases involving minors), helps address the problem of cross-border criminality, and more generally helps identify people who, once inside the Schengen area, may pose an internal security threat. The data stored in ETIAS, with respect to fundamental rights and data protection, may also be made available to national law enforcement authorities and Europol if necessary, for the prevention, detection or investigation of a terrorist offence, or for other serious criminal offenses.

The ETIAS Regulation fully complies with the Charter of Fundamental Rights, which contains all the guarantees, and ensures that ETIAS is developed in line with the highest standards in terms of data protection, particularly as regards access by the information, which is strictly limited. Particularly with regard to having the right to judicial recourse and the supervision of operations during the process by independent public authorities.

Personal information collected in ETIAS is not being kept for longer than necessary. The information will be saved for the following periods of time:

• The validity period of the travel authorization or,
• 5 years from the last refusal, revocation or annulment of the travel authorization.

The information could be kept for a maximum of three additional years, from the expiration of the permit, if the applicant explicitly authorizes it. After that time the history and data will be deleted from the ETIAS Central System.

The police authorities of the member States and Europol have access to ETIAS, under strict conditions for the prevention, detection and investigation of terrorist offenses or other serious criminal offences. Designated authorities and Europol could request access to ETIAS information only if they have justified reasons and sufficient grounds to do so, and it substantially assists in fulfilling their obligations.

ETIAS is made up of the ETIAS Information System, the ETIAS Central Unit and the ETIAS National Unit.

The ETIAS Information System is comprised of the following:

• A Central System to process the requests.
• A National Uniform Interface in each member State that connects with the Central System and with the national infrastructures.
• A secure Communication Infrastructure between the Central System and the National Uniform Interface.
• A public website and a mobile application.
• Various services such as email and account opening, as well as a number of tools such as verification and consent to retain information beyond the normal period.

The ETIAS Central Unit is established and managed within the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, and is part of its legal and policy framework. Operating on a 24/7 basis, the ETIAS Central Unit has four central tasks:

• Ensure that the information on file for applications is correct and up-to-date.
• Verify the identity, where necessary, of travel authorization requests that have been matched against security databases during the automated process.
• Define, test, implement, evaluate and review the specific risk indicators of the ETIAS screening rules.
• Carry out regular audits on the handling of applications and the implementation of the ETIAS detection rules, particularly regarding the impact on fundamental rights, privacy rules and data protection.

The ETIAS National Units are established in each member State, and their primary responsibility is to carry out risk assessments and decide on the approval of the travel permit after it has been rejected by the automatic application process. The National Units also provide applicants with information on the procedure to follow in the event of an appeal.

The ETIAS Detection Council, established within the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, has a consultative function, and is used for the definition, evaluation and review of risk indicators, as well as for the implementation of lists of tracing. The Board is made up of a representative from each ETIAS National Unit, Europol and the European Border and Coast Guard Agency.

Guidance Council for Fundamental Rights, is an independent consultative body made up of representatives of the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, the European Data Protection Supervisor, the European Data Protection Council and the Human and fundamental Rights Agency. It assesses the impact of the application process and the detection rules based on fundamental rights, as well as advice to the ETIAS Detection Council.

The information provided by applicants for an ETIAS authorization is crossed with different EU databases including the ETIAS watch list.

The watch list consists of information relating to persons who are suspected of having committed or been involved in a serious criminal offense, or persons whose current indicators lead to reasonable grounds to believe that they will commit terrorism or other serious criminal offenses. The watch list is established based on information provided by member States and Europol.

Europol, as the information and security center of the EU, is in a unique position to combine information that is not available to different member States, or in other EU databases. Together with the member States, it enters information in the ETIAS monitoring list and is responsible for keeping this information always up to date.

The ETIAS National Units consult Europol information as a follow-up to a match with the watch list, which occurred during the automated ETIAS approval process. The Agency is also involved in the definition of the ETIAS screening rules.

Eu-LISA, is the operational management agency for large-scale information systems, in the area of ​​freedom, security and justice, it is responsible for the development of the ETIAS Information System and is in charge of its technical management. Among other things, the agency is responsible for the creation of the public website for ETIAS applications and its mobile application, where those interested in a travel authorization can, for example, check the status of their application.

To be as efficient as possible, ETIAS is built on the basis of existing information systems, and in synchronization with those that are being developed, such as the Entry/Exit System (EES). The development and implementation of this system and ETIAS are carried out at the same time and in parallel, which ensures significant savings in preparation and operational costs.

The cost of developing ETIAS is estimated at €212.1 million and the average cost of annual operations at €85 million. ETIAS is self-financing since the cost of the annual expenses will be covered by the collection of the €7/application fee.

The ETIAS Regulation affects member States that are part of the Schengen area, including Croatia Cyprus Bulgaria and Romania, although they are not yet fully included in the agreement.

ETIAS is expected to start operating by the end of 2024, and the official specific website is: ETIAS (europa.eu)