- ETIAS will make EU travel experiences easier and safer for visa-exempt third-country citizens.
- Air, land and sea carriers will be a crucial part of ETIAS implementation. Keep reading to learn more.
12-10-2022
To travel Europe, third-country nationals (TCN) will soon require ETIAS, the European Travel Information and Authorisation System.
Non-EU citizens travelling without a visa will be required to request for travel authorization online before departure beginning in November 2023.
Carriers will examine the ETIAS travel authorization: airlines, maritime carriers, and international carriers conveying groups overland via coach.
Travelers may discover out when ETIAS will be checked by airlines and how it will influence future flights to Europe on this page.
- Please note that the dates indicated in this infographic are no longer accurate. Please consult our more recent articles on the ETIAS start date for more information.
CARRIERS WILL QUERY ETIAS AND EES
Regulations 2021/1217 and 2021/1224 of the European Union require carriers (airlines, sea carriers, and coaches) to query the EES and ETIAS systems before boarding.
International airlines will be required to query EES beginning in May 2023 and ETIAS beginning in November 2023. For the first three years, coaches will not be required to undergo ETIAS checks.
According to Eu-LISA spokesman Livia Vosman, “since the Schengen Area has no internal border controls, carriers must be part of the verification process.”
“Because internal border controls in the Schengen region have been abolished, carriers have been tasked to oversee the compliance of the EES and ETIAS Regulations.”
INTERNATIONAL CARRIERS AND THE ENTRY/EXIT SYSTEM
The EES applies to both visa-exempt and visa-required third-country nationals.
EES is an electronic record of a passenger’s EU entry and departures that substitutes manual stamping. Instead of opening a passport to seek for a visa, carriers will conduct a digital check utilising the carrier interface prior to boarding. Despite the fact that the technology is new, the verification standards remain the same.
Carriers will verify to ensure that a third-country person travelling with a short-stay, single or multiple entry visa has not already utilised the number of entries allowed by their visa.
INTERNATIONAL CARRIERS AND ETIAS
The EES applies to both visa-required and visa-exempt TCN, but the ETIAS solely applies to visa-exempt TCN.
Air and maritime transport operators transporting passengers to the Schengen Area will be required to query ETIAS beginning in November 2023. Coaches will be subject to the duty beginning in 2026.
Before boarding, carriers must ensure that all visa-exempt passengers have a valid ETIAS travel authorization.
WHEN WILL EES / ETIAS BE CHECKED BY CARRIERS?
Because there are no internal borders in the Schengen Area, the carrier is required to conduct the necessary inspections prior to boarding. According to current legislation, verification can be performed up to 48 hours before departure.
According to Article 26 of the Convention implementing the Schengen Agreement, “the carrier shall be obliged to take all necessary efforts to guarantee that an alien conveyed by air or sea has the travel papers required for admission into the territory of the Contracting Parties.”
3-STEP EES AND ETIAS VERIFICATION PROCESS FOR CARRIERS
Carriers will check to see if passengers with a short-stay visa (for one or two entries) have already used the number of entries allowed. They will also verify that a visa-exempt traveller has the necessary ETIAS travel authorization.
The carrier interface will be used to send the EES and ETIAS queries. This will be a three-step procedure:
- Carrier enters passenger data into the carrier interface (web or mobile).
- Confirmation of EES/ETIAS status (2 seconds for 1 passenger, 4 seconds for up to 99 passengers).
- Carrier allows or denies boarding.
HOW WILL CARRIERS ACCESS THE EES/ETIAS CARRIER INTERFACE?
Carriers must register in order to have access to the carrier interface. The carrier interface is accessible via:
- System-to-system interface
- Web interface (available through a public website)
- Application for mobile devices
RESPONSE TO CARRIER PASSENGER QUERIES
When a carrier submits a query, the response will be:
- OK
- Not OK – EES
- Not OK – ETIAS
- Not OK – VIS
The reaction time for one passenger will be 2 seconds, and for up to 99 passengers, it will be 4 seconds.
Passengers may only be boarded if they obtain an OK to travel to the Schengen Area answer.
WHAT HAPPENS IF A PASSENGER IS DENIED ENTRY AT THE AIRPORT?
There are two possibilities if a traveller is denied admission at the border:
- The carrier allowed a passenger to board without confirmed OK status.
- The passenger had confirmed OK status, but was still refused entry.
In scenario 1, the carrier will be held liable. If a carrier boards a passenger who does not have permission to travel, the carrier will be liable for conveying the individual back to the departure point. Penalties may also be imposed on the carrier.
There will be no fines for the carrier in scenario 2 because they completed their duties to query EES and/or ETIAS. They may, however, be required to transport the tourist back.
The ETIAS does not guarantee admission to Europe. The ultimate decision is made by border officials in the destination country.
ETIAS, EES, AND THE PASSENGER EXPERIENCE
According to Livia Vosman, a eu-LISA representative contacted by EtiasVisa.com reporters, the deployment of EES and ETIAS will make “border crossing for third-country nationals simpler and faster.”
The digitization of borders will make border control in the Schengen Area more efficient and safe. As an outcome, ETIAS will benefit both passengers and airlines.
EES WILL MAKE BORDER CROSSING SMOOTHER AND FASTER
Instead of manually stamping their passports, TCN entrances and departures will be recorded in an electronic database.
Passengers will be able to utilise self-service kiosks at airports as a result of this. This should be speedier than the present border guard checks at the counter.
ETIAS WILL MAKE EUROPEAN DESTINATIONS SAFER FOR TRAVELLERS
Passengers will provide basic information about their identification and passport to the online ETIAS application form. They will also be asked to provide some background information. This information will be validated against EU security databases automatically.
Livia Vosman also explained how this could assist travellers to EtiasVisa.com reporters: “ETIAS will considerably contribute to reducing existing security information gaps.” It will assist Member States’ authorities in identifying and responding to persons who may constitute a threat to domestic security before they reach Schengen’s external frontiers.”
Travel authorization will be provided in minutes if there are no hits. ETIAS will be valid for up to three years and will allow holders to travel freely across the Schengen Area.
EES AND ETIAS REGISTRATION FOR CARRIERS
EES and ETIAS carrier registration commenced in September 2021 and became required in January/February 2022.
Carriers must register in order to have access to the technical material and tools required to prepare their systems for EES and ETIAS.
eu-LISA is now holding Q&A sessions every two weeks to address carriers’ issues about the adoption of ETIAS and EES.
During the testing period, dedicated eu-LISA teams will give advice and help. More information will be made available as part of a planned communication effort.