ETIAS Visa Waiver for Travelers from Kiribati

Kiribatians' have been included in the 60 ETIAS countries and because of that, the way they travel to the Schengen area for short periods of time will fundamentally change.

The ETIAS (European Travel Information and Authorization System) visa waiver has a planned launch date of January 2023. It covers Kiribatians who want to go to the Schengen area for less than 90 days. ETIAS comes with a host of access rights and strict ETIAS requirements that are detailed below.

To use their access rights, Kiribatians need only show an approved ETIAS visa waiver to border control when they enter the Schengen area

Before the ETIAS visa waiver, citizens of nations like Kiribati could enter the EU without unusual documentation. All they required was a passport. With traceability and safety in mind, the ETIAS visa waiver will mean the EU can track all Kiribatians coming into the EU.

Most importantly, they will be able to cross-reference all Kiribatians data with Interpol databases, and refuse ETIAS visa waivers to any Kiribatian they feel might be a threat to the safety of the Schengen area.

Kiribatians who are considered safe will easily be able to acquire this documentation. Although it will complicate things, it will not fundamentally alter their right to travel to the EU. It is predicted that 95% of Kiribatians' ETIAS visa applications will be accepted.

Short-term travellers from Kiribati to the EU will need an ETIAS visa waiver. Short-term, in this case, means less than 90 days, but it does not restrict the purposes of travel that are acceptable. Kiribatians who desire stays longer than 90 days will need a standard visa.

Kiribatians between 18 and 70 will have to pay a 7 euro application fee. Any Kiribatians older or younger than this will not have to pay an application fee.

ETIAS visas do not give total free travel in Europe, with restrictions on time and strict limits to the area it covers. Kiribatians must make sure they travel to Europe with the right documentation, or they risk detention and deportation.

Most obviously, not all Europe is in the Schengen area or the EU. Kiribatians who want to include nations like Russia and the UK in their travels, will need to research what documentation is needed to visit these nations. They have separate immigration policies to the EU, and visiting them may be substantially more complicated.

Around 5% of Kiribatians will be disappointed that their application has been rejected. Often, this will just be a matter of clearing something up or rectifying any mistakes in the application. A reason for refusal that is more likely to thoroughly bar the Kiribatian from travel to the Schengen area, is that they are considered a threat. These Kiribatians are unlikely to be successful in the appeals process, so they should attempt to get a standard visa from their destination nation. Although they are unlikely to be successful if the EU has defined them as a threat, it is their best chance of obtaining the legal right to travel to the EU.

The ETIAS visa gives Kiribatians the right to visit all the nations listed below.

This list includes all nations inside the Schengen area. The Schengen area includes countries inside the EU, outside of the EU, and with a defacto Schengen status.

The documentation included in the ETIAS requirements is simple. They include the Kiribatian applicant's passport, credit card, and proof of address.

The questions that make up the ETIAS application form are more complicated, and will have a greater say in if a Kiribatian's application is accepted. They include simple personal questions, and also...

A refusal can be turned into a successful application, by providing any requested further documentation within 96 hours. The receiving nation will then be given four weeks to decide if it is appropriate for the Kiribatian to have the right to short-term travel in the Schengen area.