ETIAS Visa Waiver for Travelers From Canada

Canada is a planned participant of the new ETIAS (European Travel Information Authorisation System.) It is a new visa waiver for travel to the Schengen area. ETIAS visa waivers will provide the right for Canadian holders to visit for 90 days. The visa waiver arrives in January 2023, and until then Canadians will need a standard visa.

ETIAS has been brought in to tackle the threats of a more dangerous world, necessitated by the new wave of refugees, and foreign terrorism and espionage. The EU will use ETIAS to keep track of the individuals coming into the EU and to make informed decisions about who to let in. Those who receive ETIAS visas can take it as proof they are seen as a safe traveller.

The ETIAS visa will easily give Canadians access to nearly all European countries. They will be able to travel to Schengen states inside and outside the EU as well as the micro-states attached to it on a de facto basis. The official Schengen states that are within the EU are...

The states that are part of the Schengen area but not of the EU are...

The sovereign micro states that are unofficially part of the Schengen area, because they are within Schengen nations are…

With an ETIAS visa waiver, Canadians can enter any combination of these countries for a single trip of a maximum of 90 days. The trip must commence within three years of the Canadian being awarded the electronic ETIAS visa waiver.

Yes, both groups will need an ETIAS visa waiver alongside their fellow Canadian citizens. However, they do get some relief as their application will be free.

A proper visa will be needed for Canadians who are visiting European nations that are not part of the Schengen area. These nations are plentiful and they will complicate a Canadian’s plans if they want to visit multiple European nations in one trip. Countries like Russia and the UK are examples of European nations with no immigration ties to the EU.

A proper visa may also be needed for some Canadians who want to travel to the Schengen area. This will be the case if they are planning a trip of longer than three-months, or they cannot get hold of an ETIAS visa.

Canadians should not spend long on providing documentation, simply because not much documentation is required to apply for ETIAS visa. Just a passport, proof of address, and credit or debit card will suffice.

Canadians will need to fill out an online form to corroborate their documentation. This too should be easy enough, as the questions are generally on personal information such as…

Other questions screen Canadians to ensure that the Schengen area is kept safe from threats. They are on if the applicant has…

Cross-references of Canadians' answers with their documentation and security databases will define which Canadians are awarded with an ETIAS.

With a correctly filled out application, Canadians will be successful an overwhelming 95% of the time. Most approvals happen very quickly within one working day. Occasionally, the EU will not be able to accept an application without more documentation. Once the documentation has been provided, Canadians can expect a response within three working days.

The most important reason that the EU would see fit to reject a Canadians application is that their answers to the online form or cross-references with Interpol databases show the citizen is a threat. Non-threatening Canadians might also have their application rejected if it is discovered they falsified information on their application. The discovery of lies will end in an instant rejection, so Canadians must tell the truth on their application.

Normally, if Canadians disagree with the reasons for their application being rejected, then they can provide further documents to reopen their application. They will have four days to supply the needed extra documentation but will then have to wait four weeks for a response.