ETIAS Visa Waiver for Travelers from Mauritius

When the ETIAS visa waiver launches in 2023, it will change the way that 1.4 billion people can travel to the EU for short-term travel and work. The 1.2 million people of Mauritius will join this group, alongside citizens of the 59 other European Travel Information and Authorisation System nations.

Progress in implementing the new systems required to operate the ETIAS has been excellent and the EU is ready to launch this new visa waiver. The set-up has been complete since August 3rd, but luckily for Mauritians, the EU will not move the launch date forward. In fact, it may be delayed. While the technology is in place, the human resources are not. The EU observer recently reported that “promises of extra security appear to be running into trouble amid a slew of delays.”

Read this article to learn how the ETIAS visa waiver leverages databases to screen travellers, what rights the ETIAS visa waiver will offer, and how to apply for ETIAS visa waivers.

Implementing a system like the ETIAS visa waiver is challenging with the accurate screening of all travellers posing an unprecedented challenge. Meeting this challenge was not seen as necessary in a world that was substantially safer than it is today. In this situation, Mauritians could enter the EU for short-term travel needing just a passport.

However, the world has now changed, and implementing visa waivers for short-term travel is now seen as both possible and necessary. The EU has been hit by many terrorist attacks in recent years, such as the 2016 Brussels Bombing which killed 35 people, and ETIAS comes as a way to lower the risks of similar attacks happening in the future. AI technology will be leveraged in the implementation of the ETIAS visa waiver system, making such high-level screening possible.

The ETIAS visa waiver will be more of a complication than an actual barrier for Mauritians. With a 95% rate of acceptance for ETIAS application, simply remembering to apply for ETIAS will allow Mauritians to enter the EU.

Travelling with an ETIAS visa waiver is more a matter of allowing more time for complications to be worked out. If a Mauritian has to make an appeal if their ETIAS application has been rejected, then it could take as much as four weeks for them to receive an acceptance.

Mauritians should also leave more time to be processed by EU border control now that the ETIAS visa waiver is in place. It is expected that the required biometric checks will slow down the processing of travellers at the border.

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

This list features all 26 official and defacto ETIAS Europe countries. Therefore, the border of countries where the ETIAS visa waiver takes effect is the same border as that of the Schengen area. European nations that exist outside of the borders have independent entrance policies, and Mauritians must arrange the necessary documentation to visit these nations.

Completing an ETIAS application is simple, requiring minimal documentation. Mauritians need to prepare copies of their passport and proof of address to be sent off alongside their completed ETIAS application form.

The ETIAS application form features an array of questions of varying seriousness and complexity. To apply for ETIAS, Mauritians need to supply simple personal information and answer questions intended to determine if they are a threat. They are…

The EU has made it difficult for Mauritians with serious criminal or terrorist convictions to enter the Schengen area. On the ETIAS system, criminal convictions within 15 years of the application, and terrorist convictions within 25 years will provoke rejection of the application.

The Covid-19 crisis will change how people with infectious diseases can travel as nations attempt to protect themselves from the next global pandemic. The ETIAS is one such step taken by the EU, and it will be used to limit the travel of those with infectious diseases into the EU.

Mauritians can work to turn a rejection into a successful ETIAS application by leveraging the appeals system. They must provide any requested documentation or information regarding their appeal within 96 hours, and then should give four weeks for the receiving nation to come back with an answer.

If Mauritians' appeals are rejected, they must either attempt to enter the EU with a longer-term visa or choose not to enter the Schengen area at all.