ETIAS Visa Waiver for Travelers from the United Kingdom

After the BREXIT referendum of 2016, the UK finally left the EU in 2020. As a result, they are now at the mercy of the EU’s decisions on how British citizens may enter the Schengen area. Unsurprisingly, the EU has taken the opportunity to add the UK and its 67 million citizens to their new ETIAS visa waiver system along with 62 other nations.

Britons must learn about the ETIAS visa waiver system before it is introduced at the end of 2022 so that they can still travel to the EU legally. ETIAS.org is an excellent resource for all important information about this new visa waiver system, and Britons should consult it thoroughly.

Until the end of 2022, Britons will be able to travel to the EU without an ETIAS visa waiver. Citizens of the United Kingdom can still travel almost freely to the EU as part of the UK’s exit deal.

ETIAS visa waivers will only cover short-term travel to the EU, of up to three months. A full visa and residency permit will be a requirement for all Britons who want to travel for a longer period.

ETIAS visa waivers will be required regardless of the travel purpose or the age of the applicant. Whether a Briton's short-term travel is for tourism, work, or medical purposes, they must arrange an ETIAS visa waiver.

Furthermore, the ETIAS visa only applies to the ETIAS Schengen states. Citizens of the United Kingdom must consult with non-Schengen EU nations individually to learn what their travel rights are for those. However, the ETIAS visa waiver still gives access to an impressive 30 ETIAS nations.

To be awarded an ETIAS visa waiver, British citizens must prove that they fit all the needs of the ETIAS visa waiver. These requirements aim to secure the safety of EU citizens' safety while ensuring the British person wants to travel to the ETIAS area for proper reasons.

The ETIAS requirements are that the British person is…

The EU will test if a British person fits these requirements with their rigorous application process.

To test if the British person is a terrorist, they will ask if the British person has terrorist affiliations and if they have had any terrorist convictions in the last 25 years.

To check if the British person is involved in human trafficking, they will ask for affiliations to such organisations and convictions.

The criminality of a British person will be tested by asking if they have had any criminal convictions in the last 15 years.

To check if the British person is a risk to public health, the EU will ask if they carry any infectious diseases.

To check that a Birtish person is a full naturalised citizen who has the right to travel, the EU will ask for a biometric passport and a proof of address. British people will likely have needed proof of addresses before to register for local services such as their GP. They will be used to finding three months of bank statements or utility bills that show where they live.

The EU will be hyper-cautious with ETIAS, especially since they planned it in 2016, one of the worst years for terrorism in Europe in history. Therefore, Britons who must answer any of these questions are unlikely to successfully apply for ETIAS.

British people must not attempt to obscure their criminal, terrorist, or human trafficking past, as the EU will carry out rigorous cross-checks with Interpol databases. The discovery of falsified information will do an applicant no favors.

Many Britons will find the EU has unearthed minor problems with their application. This will usually be because the Briton has made an error when filling out their application, and will be asked to rectify their mistake within 10 days. Being awarded an ETIAS should follow soon after.

British people will find more difficulties if they are part of the 5% of applicants who are rejected. These Britons will have just 96 hours to make their appeal, and they may be asked to attend a video interview to prove that they are a safe traveller.

Receiving an answer after completing their appeal could take up to four weeks, and British people should factor in this potential delay when they are booking their travels in the Schengen area.