Can I Travel Without Border Controls in the Schengen Zone by Using an ETIAS?

When you have an ETIAS approved, you are provided with authorization to travel around Europe freely for the purpose of business or tourism. This means that your ETIAS is valid across the different country borders within the EU but it is still possible that your ETIAS can be revoked by European border authorities.

Your ETIAS is valid to use for visiting any of the 26 countries of the Schengen Zone and you are able to travel around Europe using the same ETIAS, for as long as your ETIAS is valid. When an ETIAS is issued, it is valid for a period of three years or for until the passport it is linked to expires, whichever date is the earliest.

Within the three years that the ETIAS is valid, you are able to visit any of the 26 Schengen Zone countries using the ETIAS, without border controls. However, if the information that you provided when you submitted your initial ETIAS application changes, this could mean that your ETIAS is revoked. Border authorities check against a set of security databases, including EUROPOL, ECRIS, SIS and VIS and if any information is revealed that impacts the ETIAS validity , the ETIAS may be revoked.

There are a number of reasons that this could happen, for example, if the ETIAS holder has a criminal conviction since the time they applied for the ETIAS. Another reason that the ETIAS could be revoked is if there is a new alert regarding a lost or stolen passport or a refusal of entry for whatever reason the border authorities may have.

The ETIAS can be revoked by border officers but it can also be revoked by the Member States if it is deemed necessary as a security risk intervention. An ETIAS will be revoked if it comes to light that the ETIAS has been fraudulently obtained, by hiding information or other fraudulent activity involved in the application.

One of the main priorities of the ETIAS system is to prevent terrorist attacks happening in Europe and with the increasing number of terrorist incidents that have happened in recent years, the system helps to monitor where people have travelled. If the ETIAS applicant has travelled to high-risk countries and who could pose a terrorist threat to the EU.