ETIAS Visa Waiver for Travelers from Malaysia

Malaysians will join the 60 ETIAS countries whose citizens need to use an ETIAS visa waiver for short-term travel into the EU.

The ETIAS (European Travel Information and Authorization System) visa waiver is already ready, with the systems having been in place since August 3rd. Malaysians shouldn’t panic though, as the system will not be launched until 2023, bringing with it access rights but also travel restrictions. Read on to learn about this new visa waiver system.

Malaysians will know that before this new visa waiver, they could enter the EU very easily for short-term travel. Not only was the world a safer place, but the EU did not have the required systems to screen all incomers.

The use of AI technology by border control agencies agencies has given the EU the ability to cross-reference all Malaysians' data with Interpol databases, and the growing threat of terrorism and human trafficking has given them a motive for doing so.

The ETIAS visa waiver is an extra step for Malaysians to go through, but it will not massively change how many Malaysians may enter the EU. The US’s visa waiver system has had a 95% acceptance rate and similar results are expected for the EU’s visa waiver

ETIAS visa waivers only cover short-term travel from Malaysia to the Schengen area of up to 90 days. Longer stays than that are treated differently, and the Malaysian will need a standard visa and a residency permit.

All Malaysians will need to get this new visa waiver for this kind of travel, and most of them will have to pay a 7euro application fee.

The ETIAS visa comes with strict limits on where Malaysians can travel to and for how long. Malaysians must get alternative visas when their travel does not fit the allowances of the ETIAS visa, or they risk expulsion by immigration authorities.

The first substantial limit is on the area that the ETIAS visa covers. It has no authority outside of the Schengen Area, and if Malaysians want to travel to countries like Britain and Russia, they will have to arrange visas with these countries independently.

There will be around 5% of Malaysians who have ETIAS visa waiver applications rejected, and many of these will not make successful appeals. Their best chance of entering the EU, in this case, is to arrange a standard visa with the Schengen nations they want to visit.

When Malaysians apply for ETIAS visa will have the right to visit all the nations listed below.

This list features all 26 official and defacto Schengen states.

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

The questions Malaysians must answer for their application, aside from basic personal inquiries, are more stringent. They have been designed for the defence of the EU and to protect citizens from infectious diseases, and Malaysians must answer them truthfully. They are...

Malaysians who could pose a risk are likely to have difficulty getting an ETIAS visa. The EU defines risky travellers based on their past criminal and terrorist convictions. If they are recent and serious, the EU will bar the Malaysian from entering

The planned regulations for the treatment of criminal convictions have recently changed. Flags for criminal convictions are now set to be removed from the system after 15 years, and flags for terrorism convictions will be removed after 25 years.

The global Covid-19 crisis has caused the EU to add to what they consider the security risks. The pandemic has made identifying travellers who pose a public health risk more prudent, and the ETIAS visa waiver will work to keep out travellers with deadly and infectious diseases. This will be crucial for the EU’s tackling of future pandemics.

Malaysians can appeal if their application is rejected, although there is no guarantee of this being successful. The EU will ask for further documentation or further answers to clear up any discrepancies they find. Having given this information, the Malaysian can expect an answer within four weeks.