To complete the ETIAS application, go to the official EU site at europa.eu/etias or open the official ETIAS mobile app, enter your passport and personal details exactly as they appear on your passport’s biometric page, answer the background questions honestly, pay the EUR 20 fee, and submit. Most decisions come back by email within minutes.1European Union. European Travel Information and Authorisation System
Start on the Official Platform
Only two places can actually process your ETIAS: the official EU website at europa.eu/etias and the official ETIAS mobile app.1European Union. European Travel Information and Authorisation System Anything else is a copycat. The EU has warned that unofficial sites mimic the application, charge fees on top of the EUR 20, and may harvest personal data. A domain that does not end in europa.eu is not the real thing, and no third-party service can speed up your application or improve your odds. The automated system treats every submission the same way.
What to Have Ready Before You Open the Form
Gather everything first. Missing details mid-form or a small typo can trigger manual review and slow the whole thing down.
Your passport must be valid for at least three months beyond the date you plan to leave the ETIAS countries. Without that, you will be refused entry at the border even with an approved ETIAS.2European Union. What is ETIAS You also need a working email address and phone number, because decisions are delivered by email.
The form itself asks for:3European Union. What You Need to Apply – ETIAS
- Full name, date and place of birth, nationality, home address, your parents’ first names, email, and phone number.
- Passport number, country of issuance, and issue and expiry dates.
- Your highest level of education and your current job or field of study.
- The first country you plan to stay in among the 30 ETIAS countries.4European Union. Frequently Asked Questions – ETIAS
- Answers to background questions covering criminal convictions in the last 10 years (20 years for terrorism-related offences), travel to war or conflict zones in the last 10 years, and any deportation order in the last 10 years.
If you plan to claim status as the family member of an EU national, you will also need that family member’s personal details and an explanation of the relationship.
Filling Out the Form Step by Step
The platform walks you through each section in order. You cannot skip ahead or submit with blank fields, so the flow itself keeps you on track.
Begin with your identity details. Type them exactly as printed on the biometric page of your passport. A transposed letter, a dropped middle name, or a mismatched hyphen is enough to delay processing or push you into a manual review. Move on to your passport data, then to education, occupation, and your travel plan.
The background questions are yes-or-no. Answer honestly. The system cross-references your answers against international security databases, and inconsistencies between what you say and what those records show are one of the most common reasons applications get flagged.
Before you submit, a summary screen displays everything you entered. Read it against your passport line by line. When you confirm, you are making a legal declaration that the data is accurate and that you understand the entry conditions for ETIAS countries.3European Union. What You Need to Apply – ETIAS
Applying on Behalf of Another Adult
You can submit an application for another adult, whether a friend, a relative, or a commercial intermediary such as a travel agency. The person doing the submitting has to enter their own name and contact details, state their relationship to the applicant, and provide a signed declaration of representation from both parties.3European Union. What You Need to Apply – ETIAS
Applying for a Child
Anyone under 18 cannot submit their own form. A parent, legal guardian, or temporary guardian must complete and submit it on the child’s behalf.3European Union. What You Need to Apply – ETIAS The full form still has to be filled in, but minors are exempt from the fee.
Paying the Fee
The application fee is EUR 20, up from the original EUR 7 after the European Commission raised it to cover operational costs and match similar programs elsewhere. Applicants under 18 or over 70 pay nothing but still complete the full application.5European Commission. The European Travel Authorisation ETIAS Will Cost EUR 20
Payment is completed online through the platform using electronic payment options before the application is submitted for processing.3European Union. What You Need to Apply – ETIAS Once you pay, the system generates a unique application number. Save it. You’ll use it to track your status.
After You Submit
Most applications are processed automatically within minutes. If yours is flagged for manual review, typically because of a database match or an inconsistency in your answers, it can take up to 4 days. If the reviewing authority asks for extra documents or information, the timeline can stretch to 30 days. In fewer than 0.1 percent of cases, according to EU estimates, an applicant is asked to attend an interview with national authorities.1European Union. European Travel Information and Authorisation System
The decision arrives by email. An approval email contains your ETIAS authorization, which is linked to the passport you applied with. It’s valid for three years or until that passport expires, whichever comes first.4European Union. Frequently Asked Questions – ETIAS During that time you can enter the 30 ETIAS countries as many times as you like for short stays of up to 90 days within any 180-day period.1European Union. European Travel Information and Authorisation System Always travel with the same passport you applied with; an authorization tied to a different passport will not work at boarding or the border.2European Union. What is ETIAS
An approved ETIAS is not a guarantee of entry. Border guards can still perform additional checks and refuse entry. It also does not cover work; if you plan to work in an ETIAS country, you need the appropriate visa separately.
If Your Application Is Denied
A denial email states the specific reason for refusal and identifies which country’s ETIAS National Unit made the decision. You have the right to appeal, and the denial email includes the instructions. Appeals are handled under the national law of the country that refused you, so the procedure and timeframe depend on which country processed your case.6European Union. Your Right to Appeal – ETIAS
Common reasons applications get refused:
- Inaccurate application data, such as mistyped passport numbers, name mismatches, or details that contradict security databases.
- Criminal or security flags matching the ETIAS watchlist, Interpol, or Europol records.
- Previous immigration issues, including a prior refusal of entry to the Schengen Area or an outstanding deportation order.
- An invalid travel document, meaning a passport reported lost, stolen, or invalidated.
- Failure to respond to a request for additional documents or an interview.
You can submit a new ETIAS application at any time with corrected information. You can also apply for a traditional Schengen visa through a consulate; that process involves an in-person appointment and a more detailed review, but it is a separate path to travel authorization.