ETIAS FOR MALAYSIANS
THE EUROPEAN TRAVEL AUTHORISATION FOR MALAYSIA CITIZENS
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Malaysians do not require a visa to visit the Schengen Area for up to 90 days. The Schengen Area includes European Union member nations such as Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain, as well as four non-EU member countries: Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland.
Although Malaysians do not require a visa to enter Europe. They will be able to apply online for an ETIAS visa waiver to travel to the Schengen Area beginning in November 2023. ETIAS, which stands for European Travel Information and Authorisation System, will become a condition for entrance.
ETIAS is an electronic travel authorization system meant to enhance the screening of visa-exempt visitors to the area, increase border control in the EU, and improve security for Europeans living in and visiting the Schengen zone.
The ETIAS for Malaysians was authorised by the European Parliament in 2016, and it will be completely operational in November 2023. The information given on a Malaysian ETIAS application will be compared to multiple European security databases controlled by eu-LISA (European Union Agency for the Operational Management of Large-Scale IT Systems in the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice). This is done to assess any possible risks to Europe before approving the visa waiver.
ETIAS permits Malaysians to travel to all Schengen member states from November 2023:
- EU Schengen
- Non-EU Schengen States
- Non-Schengen EU States
Non-EU Member States:
Micro-States de facto part of Schengen Area:
Non-Schengen EU States
THE ETIAS APPLICATION PROCESS FOR MALAYSIANS
Malaysians will be required by law to get an ETIAS visa waiver. Malaysian nationals will be allowed to apply for a visa waiver to Europe from anyplace outside of the Schengen Zone. The application procedure is entirely online, and the candidate may complete it on their laptop, tablet, or mobile phone.
Malaysian individuals can apply for the Europe visa waiver online using the easy ETIAS application, which only takes a few minutes to fill out with personal, passport, and travel details, such as:
- Full name
- Gender
- Nationality
- Place of birth
- Date of birth
- Country of birth
- Current address
- Passport number
- Issue and expiry date of the passport
- Phone number
- Email address
- Schengen member state of first intended entry.
It is critical that all of the information submitted on the ETIAS form for Malaysian nationals is correct and corresponds to the information on the traveller’s Malaysian passport. Any wrong information, even minor errors, will very certainly result in the rejection of the ETIAS application.
All minors under the age of 18 must submit a separate ETIAS permission for Malaysia application. Although parents or legal guardians may file an ETIAS application on behalf of a minor, each kid must have an individual authorised ETIAS.
Before completing the Europe visa waiver application from Malaysia, you must additionally answer a few security and health-related questions, such as:
- Criminal history
- Employment history
- Drug use
- Travel to conflict areas
- Past European travel information
VISA FOR MALAYSIAN CITIZENS FOR LONG STAYS IN EUROPE
ETIAS is not a visa and is only valid for 90 days in any 180-day period.
Any Malaysian citizen who desires to travel Europe for more than 90 days or for objectives other than those authorised by ETIAS, such as job or study, must apply for a visa.
A national visa, unlike an ETIAS for Malaysian nationals, is only authorised for entrance into one country in the region. It is essential to apply for a visa at the embassy or consulate of the Schengen country the tourist desires to visit in Malaysia.
Make an appointment with the applicable embassy or consulate and bring a variety of papers, including:
- A valid Malaysian passport containing at least 2 blank pages
- A completed visa for Malaysians application form
- A recent photograph of the traveller, passport-sized and taken against a white background
- Proof of sufficient financial means to cover the stay in Europe
- Travel insurance which covers medical care in the Schengen Area
- Round trip flight tickets, or tickets to an onward destination
- Any accommodation bookings the traveller has made for their stay
The duration of a Malaysian citizen’s Schengen Europe visa is set on an individual basis. It can be granted with a single, double, or multiple entry visa.
MALAYSIAN VISA WAIVER BILATERAL AGREEMENTS WITH EU COUNTRIES
Malaysia has bilateral visa waiver arrangements in place with numerous European countries, allowing Malaysians to stay in Europe for longer than the initial 90 days allowed under ETIAS. Below is a thorough list and explanation of how various Malaysian agreements function.
Travellers with any sort of valid Malaysian passport can enter the following European countries visa-free for up to three months:
- Denmark
- Italy (90 days)
- The Netherlands (90 days)
- Austria
- Iceland
- Liechtenstein
- Norway
- Switzerland
The following countries only enable Malaysian individuals with ordinary passports to benefit from the bilateral visa waiver agreement:
- Czech Republic (90 days)
- Greece (30 days)
- Slovakia (3 months)
- Sweden (3 months)
Malaysians possessing the following passports can enter Hungary without a visa for up to 90 days:
- Ordinary
- Diplomatic
- Service
- Official
These accords are the outcome of diplomatic talks between the respective nations and the Malaysian government. It implies that each reciprocal agreement has its own set of terms and only applies to the state with whom it was struck.
Important: Malaysians who desire to travel visa-free to one of the Schengen nations due to a bilateral agreement must exit the Schengen Area only through that country and are not permitted to leave its national territory while the accord is in effect.
Malaysians who desire to visit more than one Schengen countries in a single trip must apply for an ETIAS visa waiver.
Please keep in mind that these reciprocal visa waiver arrangements may change depending on fresh, updated agreements between Malaysia and the individual EU nation.
EUROPE VISA WAIVER REQUIREMENTS FOR MALAYSIAN CITIZENS
Malaysian nationals will be able to register for ETIAS beginning in November 2023, allowing them to travel to Schengen Area nations for short stays for tourism, business, transit, and medical reasons. To board a flight destined for Europe, passengers must have an authorised ETIAS.
To file an ETIAS application, Malaysian residents must first complete the three fundamental ETIAS requirements:
- A valid Malaysian passport
- A current email address (needed to receive a copy of the approved ETIAS visa waiver)
- A credit or debit card (to pay the ETIAS from Malaysia fee)
Malaysian applicants for the ETIAS must have a machine-readable biometric passport.
Those with dual nationality in Malaysia and another country should use the same passport to apply for ETIAS that they would use to go to the Schengen Area, as ETIAS is electronically linked to an individual passport. Malaysians who seek to travel to ETIAS nations with the incorrect passport are likely to be refused boarding or sent away at Schengen border check.
Because the authorised ETIAS is electronically connected to the traveller’s passport, there will be no need to print a paper copy to give to transportation companies or Schengen Area border control. However, applicants are recommended to print a copy of ETIAS to carry with them during their stay in Europe in case they are required to demonstrate it at any stage.
ETIAS FROM MALAYSIA SECURITY PROCEDURES
Before travel authorization may be granted, the information given on ETIAS visa waiver applications from Malaysia will be reviewed against multiple information databases, including Interpol, SIS, VIS, Europol, and EURODAC.
SIS, VIS, and EURODAC make up the Schengen Area security system and are all managed by eu-LISA, which also has responsibility for the management of the ETIAS application process.
The Schengen Information Sharing System (SIS) enables Schengen nations to communicate information about suspected criminals entering Europe, as well as stolen assets and missing individuals. The database’s goals are to strengthen border control cooperation, increase collaboration among law enforcement organisations, and facilitate car registration coordination.
By allowing Schengen Area nations to communicate visa information through a single information system, VIS contributes to the unified EU visa policy. It captures biometric data from visa applications and saves it in a common database, allowing European countries to avoid fraudulent activities, protect travellers from identity theft, and improve security.
EURODAC, a fingerprint database that operates in collaboration with SIS and VIS, helps Schengen nations to detect persons who unlawfully cross European borders. When a migrant applies for asylum in the European Union, EURODAC analyses fingerprint databases to register quick identification of their fingerprints. This permits Schengen nations to select who is responsible for reviewing individual asylum claims.
An ETIAS visa waiver for Malaysian citizens is likely to be refused if any serious criminal activity related to the applicant shows up on these databases. As the system is geared more towards identifying terrorist and human trafficking threats, many countries will still grant entry to travellers with a minor criminal history. However, Malaysians with serious drug offenses or a public order conviction are also likely to be denied entry by many Schengen countries.
MALAYSIAN VISA WAIVER BILATERAL AGREEMENTS WITH EU COUNTRIES
Malaysia has bilateral visa waiver arrangements in place with numerous European countries, allowing Malaysians to stay in Europe for longer than the initial 90 days allowed under ETIAS. Below is a thorough list and explanation of how various Malaysian agreements function.
Travellers with any sort of valid Malaysian passport can enter the following European countries visa-free for up to three months:
- Denmark
- Italy (90 days)
- The Netherlands (90 days)
- Austria
- Iceland
- Liechtenstein
- Norway
- Switzerland
The following countries only enable Malaysian individuals with ordinary passports to benefit from the bilateral visa waiver agreement:
- Czech Republic (90 days)
- Greece (30 days)
- Slovakia (3 months)
- Sweden (3 months)
Malaysians possessing the following passports can enter Hungary without a visa for up to 90 days:
- Ordinary
- Diplomatic
- Service
- Official
These accords are the outcome of diplomatic talks between the respective nations and the Malaysian government. It implies that each reciprocal agreement has its own set of terms and only applies to the state with whom it was struck.
Important: Malaysians who desire to travel visa-free to one of the Schengen nations due to a bilateral agreement must exit the Schengen Area only through that country and are not permitted to leave its national territory while the accord is in effect.
Malaysians who desire to visit more than one Schengen countries in a single trip must apply for an ETIAS visa waiver.
Please keep in mind that these reciprocal visa waiver arrangements may change depending on fresh, updated agreements between Malaysia and the individual EU nation.
ETIAS FROM MALAYSIA FOR SHORT STAYS IN SCHENGEN
The ETIAS Europe visa waiver is a multiple entry travel authorization that allows Malaysians to freely travel throughout the Schengen zone. It allows for repeated 90-day short visits within each 180-day period and is valid for three years from the date of approval, or until the ETIAS holder’s passport expires. As a result, it is not essential to apply for ETIAS before each travel to the Schengen zone.
ETIAS authorities advise Malaysians to apply for the Europe visa waiver at least 72 hours (3 days) before their scheduled date of entrance into the Schengen Area to allow for adequate processing time. In some situations, further information from the application may be required before an authorised ETIAS may be provided.
Travellers should be informed that a visa waiver issued from Malaysia to Europe may be cancelled if the requirements for providing the travel authorisation are no longer satisfied. This is most probable in circumstances where authorities suspect the ETIAS was obtained via the use of false or misleading information.
It is also worth noting that the Schengen visa waiver for Malaysians does not ensure entrance into Schengen nations; rather, it allows holders to travel to Europe. Immigration officers at the border will make the ultimate decision on admission, and supporting documentation may be requested to assure access, including:
- Proof of sufficient funds to cover the stay in the Schengen Area
- Proof of travel insurance with medical cover
- Return flight tickets/tickets to an onward destination