The European Travel Information and Authorization System was proposed by the commission to strengthen security of travel to the schengen area under visa-free agreements. The President of European Commission Jean Claude Juncker announced in September 2016:

We need to know who is crossing our borders. By November, we will propose an automated system to determine who will be allowed to travel to Europe. This way we will know who is travelling to Europe before they even get here.

ETIAS is the action after the announcement a first deliverable of the priorities for action identified in the Bratislava Roadmap. The ETIAS will gather information on all travellers who are travelling visa free
to Europe and ensure that possible security concerns are identified prior to travelling to the Schengen area, contributing to a more efficient management of the EU’s external borders and improving internal security and the security of EU citizens.

Benefits of ETIAS:

• Save travellers time & hassle
• Improve border management
• Complement our visa liberalisation policy
• Prevent irregular migration
• Reinforce the fight against crime & terrorism

Information Required by the ETIAS:

• Personal information about the traveler.
• Travel document from legal bodies of current country (passport or equivalent document)
• Member State of intended first entry
• Background questions relating to public health risks, criminal records, previous refusals of entry/an order to leave the territory of a Member State
• If the application is submitted by a person other than of the applicant, identity of the person
  or company that he or she represents.

Note: ETIAS will apply to visa-free non-EU citizens

How will the ETIAS system work?

ETIAS online application will take 10 min max after application one have to pay fee which will go to EU budget. Application will be processed automatically  against security databases (SIS / VIS / EUROPOL DATA / SLTD (Interpol) / EURODAC / ECRIS etc...) + ETIAS screening rules & ETIAS watchlist.

Incase there is a rejection from the automatic application processing, the application would undergo manual processing by the ETIAS Central Unit and ETIAS National Unit(s).

Note : At land borders there could be a possibility to introduce an ETIAS application request at an application kiosk.