Good afternoon. Your passports, please. We must also take prints of at least four fingers. Let's just take a picture of you. Thank you and have a nice stay.
This is what entry into the European Union, as well as Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein, which are members of the Schengen system, should look like from November 10 this year for citizens of about 60 countries, including the countries of the Western Balkans.
Then the new entry and exit system (Entry/Exit System - EES), which was established in November 2017, but whose implementation has been postponed several times, will start working.
The implementation of the second European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS) has been announced for next summer, which will mean that travelers from countries that have a visa-free regime with the EU must apply online for an entry permit, paying a fee of seven euros by bank card. .
Passports in all countries of the Western Balkans are biometric, the chips contain fingerprints and photographs, and they are fully compliant with the conditions requested by the EU in order for the countries of the Western Balkans to obtain a visa-free regime.
The general conditions still remain - that the travel document must not expire in less than three months from the date when the person plans to return to his country or that the passport must not be older than ten years.
What are the new changes from mid-2025?
ETIAS will require citizens of around 60 countries to fill out a special form via the internet or mobile app before travelling.
When filling out the application for the first time, the passenger enters personal data, e-mail and phone number, as well as details of the travel document.
The traveler will also need to enter details of education and current employment, as well as details of planned travel and stay in the EU country.
Details of any criminal convictions, past travel to war zones or conflict zones, and information on whether the person has been expelled from any country will also be sought.
Passengers are also required to pay an additional fee of seven euros, which is paid by payment card. Payment is made like any online purchase.
Enter the card number, validity date, information of the person in whose name the card was issued, as well as CVV/CVC - a three-digit number printed on the back of the card next to the owner's signature. The account must have the required amount of money converted in local currency.
The tax will not be paid by those under 18 and over 70, spouses/registered partners and children of citizens of the EU and Schengen countries, as well as children of spouses/partners coming from outside the EU.
"Group" application will not be possible, that is, in the case of a family trip, each member will have to apply separately for ETIAS.
The ETIAS system will be available in the languages of the member countries, including Croatian, and the system will only accept Latin letters.
The traveler will be able to pause filling out the application, save changes and continue entering data within a period of 48 hours.
How long does it take to process the request?
As stated on the official website of the ETIAS system, the processing should take "several minutes".
If it will take longer, the passenger should receive the notification within four days.
Passengers may be asked for additional information or documentation, e.g. hotel reservation confirmation and employment confirmation to be submitted within ten days, in which case the request should be processed within two weeks.
The traveler may be invited for an interview at the embassy of the country he plans to travel to, and in that case the request should be processed within 30 days.
Therefore, travelers are advised to fill out the form at least one month before buying a ticket or booking accommodation.
If the traveler is approved for entry into the EU, he will receive a notification by e-mail.
The ETIAS permit will be valid for three years or until the travel document with which someone applied is replaced.
The form is linked to the travel document, which means that it is only valid with the passport with which the entry was applied for. A new passport means a new application. If the ETIAS is paid for and approved for travel to one country, it is also valid for another.
ETIAS approval does not mean that a person can stay in the EU for more than 90 days in a six-month period or work in the EU.
The traveler will be able to enter and exit the EU as many times as he wants and travel to any destination within the Schengen area during the period of validity of the permit as long as he respects the specified time limit.
What if the person does not have the Internet, a bank card, is illiterate, etc.?
Parents fill out the form for their minor children, who are exempt from paying the fee of seven euros.
Everyone can authorize a third party - another person or a commercial intermediary - to apply on their behalf or on behalf of their minor children.
With an intermediary, for example a travel agency, a declaration of representation must be signed for each person individually, and the same applies in the event that a friend, neighbor, daughter or son applies for a person.
A declaration form will be available once the system is operational, allowing a third party to process one's personal data. The person or company that is the intermediary will also have to enter their data.
The intermediary has the right to charge a "reasonable fee", and the EU has provided for the possibility of anonymous reporting of those who charge excessive commission.
Those who decide to apply through an intermediary are advised to especially check whether the information in the application is correct before sending it, because in case of any mistake - for example typing a zero (0) instead of the letter "O" - the application can be rejected, canceled or cancelled.
In case the traveler notices an error, he can fill out a new application or request correction of the error in the old application, and the processing procedure in this case takes up to 30 days.
How to go to a funeral, visit a parent who is an EU citizen and similar?
The ETIAS form will not need to be filled out by persons who have a valid visa - student, work or similar - or residence permit in an EU country.
The form is also not filled out by persons who live along the border and possess border passes, upon presentation of which they cross to, for example, cultivate their fields on the other side of the line.
Crew members on ships and planes for some EU countries will need an ETIAS form, for others they will not, which they should check before disembarking.
Exceptions include going to medical treatment in case the life of the applicant or a relative is in danger, going to the funeral of a family member, the obligation to appear before the court or some "important obligation".
In that case, the traveler fills out the ETIAS application for the so-called a limited license stating the reason.
The permit is issued by the country to which the person is traveling and is valid only for travel to that country for a maximum of 90 days. For example, if it is a question of going to a funeral, an EU country can grant entry only for the days of the burial.
If the person in the meantime applies for and receives a second ETIAS for travel to all Schengen countries, the limited permit automatically ceases to be valid.
Exceptions are provided for the payment of the tax.
If, for example, a child travels to the country where his parent lives who is a citizen of the EU or a member of the Schengen system, he will not have to pay seven euros, but if he wants to travel to another country, he will have to fill out a new ETIAS form and pay the mentioned amount. The same applies to spouses or registered partners.
Holders of diplomatic or special passports whose countries have signed agreements with the EU, NATO employees do not have to apply for ETIAS permits, and neither do people who are in transit through a European airport.
Persons with dual citizenship of an EU member state do not have to apply either, provided they travel with a passport or identity card of that country.
What if the EU refuses to give you a permit?
Persons without ETIAS authorization will be refused entry at the border.
Even receiving that certificate does not mean that the traveler is automatically granted entry into the EU country. All travelers will still be screened and a border officer may deny entry to a person who does not meet the requirements.
Some of the conditions for entry are a valid travel document for at least three months from the date of the planned return, that the passport is not older than ten years, that the stay is justified and that the person has enough money until the planned return.
The usual amount is around 100 euros per day and depends on the EU member state.
Some of the reasons for refusing entry are a threat to safety or health, if a person is the subject of a warrant from a country, and the like, which is determined by a check in bases, a medical examination, and the like.
If the application for ETIAS travel authorization is refused, revoked or cancelled, the person will receive an email stating the reasons for the refusal and the name of the authority that made the decision.
There is a possibility of appeal, and the e-mail will contain information to which country or countries to appeal with a description of the appropriate appeal procedure. Complaints are resolved in accordance with the laws of those countries.
A person whose application has been rejected can request an ETIAS permit again.
If a person revokes his request, he cannot change his mind afterwards, but must fill out a new form.
The fee is not refundable if the application is rejected.
Will it create more congestion at the borders?
With the introduction of the EES, the scanning of travel documents remains, the stamping of passports at the border crossing stops, but the taking of fingerprints and pictures that will be taken at each border crossing could lengthen waiting in lines.
At the airports, checks will be carried out upon landing at the airports.
Member states have amended their laws to reduce potential congestion at land crossings.
The collection of biometric data and checks through the databases of EU countries can be performed even before the border booths - while passengers are waiting in line - in order to enable better flow.
This means that border police officers will be able to walk from vehicle to vehicle or enter buses with special devices to check passengers.
Why was the system established?
The new EES system was established to make the bases of EU member states more connected, to facilitate the monitoring of time and place of stay and to ensure that travelers do not stay longer than 90 days in a six-month period.
One of the goals of the new measures is to make it more difficult for criminals or terrorists to enter the EU with fake passports, as biometric control will be carried out every time they cross the border.
Passengers will not pay a fee for taking biometric data.
The data will be accessible to the police services of the member countries of the Schengen system and the police agency EUROPOL during criminal investigations, especially terrorism and organized crime.
Biometric data checks will be tightened in the middle of 2025, and the exact date has not been determined.
Similar systems have already been introduced by the United States of America, Canada and Australia.
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