ETIAS FOR TONGAN NATIONALS
EUROPEAN TRAVEL AUTHORISATION FROM TONGA
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Tongans can enter Europe without a visa owing to visa waiver arrangements between Tonga and the EU. When entering Europe, visitors must display a valid Tongan passport at the border.
Tonga citizens will soon be required to register with the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS). ETIAS will go into effect in November 2023 and will be required for visa-free non-EU nationals, including those from the Kingdom of Tonga.
ETIAS, like the ESTA in the United States, is a travel authorization, sometimes known as a visa waiver. ETIAS will examine visa-free travellers prior to their entry into the Schengen Area, strengthening security and improving border management. Tonga will be able to apply for ETIAS entirely online. The Tongan ETIAS criteria are outlined below.
DO TONGANS NEED AN ETIAS FOR EVERY EUROPEAN COUNTRY THEY VISIT?
The country or countries to which a Tongan national wishes to travel in Europe will determine if an ETIAS is required. Tongans travelling to Schengen member countries can apply for ETIAS beginning in November 2023.
TONGANS CAN ENTER ALL SCHENGEN NATIONS IN EUROPE WITH A SINGLE ETIAS REGISTRATION:
The 22 ETIAS countries in the European Union are as follows:
- 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
All visa-exempt non-EU nationals —including Tongans— will need to apply for an ETIAS travel authorisation. This visa waiver document will be mandatory when travelling to the Schengen Area with a passport from Tonga.
The European Travel Information and Authorisation System will screen visa-exempt travellers from ETIAS-eligible countries. This way, ETIAS will help fight crime and continue improving security within the Schengen Area.
As part of the unified EU intelligence strategy, the ETIAS will cross-check applicants’ data against numerous security databases, including SIS, VIS, EURODAC, Interpol, and Europol.
Citizens of Tonga who are not deemed a threat to the European Union will be granted travel authorization automatically.
If there is a hit in any system, the ETIAS Central Unit and ETIAS National Units will manually check applications. Only travellers who pose a risk to the European Union and its residents will be denied travel authorization.
The ETIAS aims to keep people with ties to serious crime out of the Schengen Area.
TRAVELLING FROM TONGA TO EUROPE
Tongan visitors will be required to display their machine-readable passport at the border upon arrival in Europe. The Schengen border guard will read their passport data electronically, triggering a query to numerous international security databases.
If the Tongan citizen has an authorised ETIAS travel authorization, the system will notify the border guard.
Tongan travellers holding a valid ETIAS who meet all Schengen entry requirements will be permitted admission in accordance with the Schengen Border Code.
Tongan visitors who do not have the required ETIAS will be denied entrance, and their refusal will be logged in the Entry Exit System by border guards.
Tourists from Tonga who overstay in Europe (see below for more information on ETIAS validity and stay) will have their overstay recorded in the Entry Exit System and may face serious consequences. Overstaying in Europe may result in the revocation of the ETIAS, fines, and even deportation.
ETIAS ONLINE APPLICATION FOR TONGAN PASSPORT HOLDERS
Tongans will be able to seek an ETIAS travel authorization from Tonga by completing a simple online application.
The full ETIAS application procedure takes place online, with no need for the Tongan national to visit an embassy or consulate.
Because the information requested is straightforward and easy to collect, filling out the ETIAS application form should take only a few minutes.
For minors travelling from Tonga to Europe, parents and legal guardians can apply for an ETIAS.
The ETIAS processing fee must be paid by all applicants. After the applicant has filled out their personal, contact, passport, and travel information, they can pay with a credit or debit card.
Tongan nationals must complete the ETIAS application with the following information:
- Full name
- Nationality
- Date of birth
- Country of birth
- Passport number
- Issue date and country of passport
- Passport expiry date
- Intended date of entry into the Schengen Area
- Schengen member state of arrival
- A valid email address
- A mobile phone number
Following that, Tonga applicants will be asked to provide some security and health information, such as visits to high-risk countries and criminal records. Tongan applicants must answer all ETIAS questions truthfully.
Having a criminal record when applying for ETIAS does not necessarily mean that the citizen will be denied. The risk that the Tongan citizen poses to the security and well-being of the EU and its citizens will be assessed by European authorities, and if no risk is found, the ETIAS may still be approved.
Tongan travellers will be notified via the email address they provided in their request once their ETIAS application has been processed. The approved ETIAS is electronically linked to the passport that was used to apply.
REQUIREMENTS TO OBTAIN AN ETIAS FROM TONGA
Tongan ETIAS standards are less stringent than those for a European visa. To apply, travellers must have:
- A machine-readable Tongan passport
- A valid email address
- A credit or debit card
The email address is required for applicants to receive ETIAS status notifications. Tongan citizens will be contacted by email once it has been approved.
It is critical to thoroughly review all of the information supplied in the ETIAS application for Tongans before submitting it. All personal and passport information must exactly match the information contained on the passport. Any inconsistencies in the information may cause the ETIAS to be delayed or the visa waiver to be denied.
ETIAS FROM TONGA PROCESSING TIME, VALIDITY, AND STAY
The vast majority of ETIAS petitions will be accepted automatically. Manual processing may be necessary if there is a hit during the screening procedure against foreign security databases.
The applicant’s information will be manually amended in this case to establish if they constitute a risk to the EU. Tongan ETIAS applications will take longer to process manually.
It is best to apply for an ETIAS from Tonga several business days before your departure date.
Once granted, the ETIAS for Tongans will permit bearers numerous Schengen Area entry for the duration of its three-year validity. The ETIAS will be valid for as long as the Tongan passport used to apply for the travel document is still valid.
If the Tongan citizen’s passport expires before the ETIAS’s three-year period is up, they must apply for a new ETIAS using the information from their new passport. Fortunately, this is a short and simple procedure.
The ETIAS allows Tongans to stay for a total of 90 days in any 180-day period. The 90 days spent in the Schengen Area can be consecutive or not, depending on the needs of the traveller.
When the 90-day stay in the Schengen Area expires, Tongan visitors must spend the next 90 days outside the Schengen Area before being granted another 90-day stay.