Etias Spain

By Lucia Lagunas Reyes | Published on 1 January 2024

Etias Spain is developing online travel information and authorisation. It stands for European Travel Information and Authorization. Etias Spain allows the holder to travel to the Schengen zones without a visa, including Spain. It is a new proposal for border control systems that the European Commission established.

Travelers who qualify for visa exemption will have to do an online application and registration with the European Travel Information and Authorisation System. It will require one to enter Spain or visit other twenty-five countries in the Schengen Area. Etias Spain is not meant to be a visa but rather to record travelers entering and leaving the Schengen zone and Spain.

Citizens of the Union countries will be able to travel without visas in the specific zones but must obtain a travel authorization via Etias before their travels. This mode does not introduce visa obligations to the applicant. One does not need to go to an embassy or consulate to obtain their visas, and one does not require the Schengen visa, which takes 15 days minimum to come out. The pass can delay up to even 30days unlike the travel authorization which is easy to fill and happens online and it only takes a few minutes of your time.

Etias Spain is being introduced to enhance the security of the specified countries. It was also proposed to strengthen the external borders of the Union. People from various countries who currently enter Spain or the region with their passports will be required to show their Etias before being allowed in the territory.

Background information about Etias Spain

Spain is one of the biggest countries in the Southern Europe continent. Its capital city is known as Madrid. Spain’s official language is Spanish, and its currency is read in euros and has a population of approximately 47.35 million people. Spain has been one of the oldest countries to be a member of the European Union since 1986.

Spain is the second-largest country in Europe, and it is known to be a developed country. The country has seventeen independent communities and two independent cities. Spanish territories include the Balearic Islands, Canary Islands, and several other islands. France borders Spain on one side and Portugal on the other. The two neighboring countries are ETIAS countries.

Spain makes up the Eurozone, the organization of the Ibero-American States, and the council of Europe. It signed the Schengen agreement in 1991, doing away with borders in 1995. The European Union has been developing a recent Etias Spain travel authorization to be operational in 2024.

Travelers or citizens with an approved visa waiver can cross borders from Portugal and France to Spain and vice versa using the Etias travel permit. Spain has a diverse climate, that is, plenty of sunshine during the summer and cool and cold temperatures during the winters. Research has established that Spain’s environment is one of the most beautiful attractions.

The visa waiver aims to enhance the security among the European Schengen countries and ensure minimal or no cross-border crime.

The Visa Waiver for Spain

The Etias visa waiver will be accessible online by the end of this year, and travelers must have it before visiting or traveling to the country. People planning to go or visit Spain are advised to check the Etias essentials and whether they are residing in the eligible country for the travel authorization.

When applying for an Etias for Spain, those with their passports are advised to provide the necessary information and biographical data. An applicant must pay a stipend at the end of the application, and the request is reviewed.

How does one obtain Etias for Spain, and how does it work?

One acquires an Etias in a few minutes online after completing answering the questions on the application and paying the fee charged using their debit or credit card. The questions in the application forms are about the identity of a person, the background of the person, both in the profession and education, if one has previous criminal charge or charges, and the travel history of the person.

Before an Etias is released, the system checks the information provided and is cross-referenced with other databases to establish the information’s authenticity and avoid risks. People’s data is highly scrutinized before one is given the travel authorization card or before the application process is complete.

Etias visa waiver for Spain is usually valid for three years. One can enter Spain several times for business trips, medical purposes, family visits, tours, and travels. A person can stay for 90 days during each entry if they wish. The Etias is counter-checked at the border by border control before one is allowed in Spain or the specified zone. In addition, after one acquires Etias, they must enter the country they filled to be the point of entry before visiting other states within the area. An example of the end of the entry in this scenario is Spain because the Etias is for Spain.

Persons Who Require Etias Travel Authorization To Travel To Spain

Currently, the people who need Etias Visa Waiver to visit Spain are the non- European Union and non-Schengen countries who are using their passports at the moment to enter Spain. The list of eligible countries that require Etias will increase from the countries mentioned earlier to many more after the system opens at the end of this year. Currently, the eligible countries are twenty-five countries within the Schengen zone. Some of the countries that will be required to fill the information and authorisation system form include; New Zealand, Albania, Australia, Nicaragua, Brazil, e.t.c

The Application Process for the etias in Spain

The application is made online, and it takes ten minutes to apply. Persons interested will access the website and fill in the answers to the online application form questionnaire. The applicants will also upload the necessary documents to complete the application.

The applicants will need their valid passports from the eligible countries for Etias, their current email address, and their debit or credit card. These cards are essential because they help process the fee charged during the application.

Persons are also required to share their details, such as names, country of birth, gender, place, and date of birth, just as they finish filling out the application form. Moreover, the information displayed on their passport is also required, such as their nationality, the passport numbers and the dates of issue, and that which the passport will lapse.

The applicants should be precise and clear about which Schengen state they desire to arrive at first or where they will commence the trip during their stay in the country. For example, if the applicant intends on visiting one country during their visit or stay, then the country should be the only country noted on the form. If the applicant wishes to visit another country within the zone, then they should indicate the country on the form.

The applicant should ensure that there are no errors or few errors are present during the filling of the online application form to avoid delays during the processing of the travel authorization form due to missing information or inaccurate information.

The application ends after the applicants pay the payment fee. After the payment has been done and there are no clerical errors or the information provided is accurate, the Etias Visa Waiver for Spain is approved and sent via the applicant’s email. Persons can use the approved Etias to travel to Spain and the Schengen States.

The Need for an Etias in Spain

The president of the European Commission, Jean Claude, stated that the importance of an Etias authorization is to ensure security within the countries. The European Commission provides that the citizens and travelers are safe in its countries.

Jean Claude also stated that they need to have the capacity to know which individual is passing through or crossing their borders during his State of the Union address. With Etias, security concerns will be reduced through its information and data analysis system.

The Etias information and authorisation system will tell if a person is a threat or possesses a threat to the security of Schengen countries. If one is a threat or has security risks, they are not allowed to enter the EU borders.

Aside from making the journey more secure, the Etias travel information and authorisation assist the EU countries by improving the management of their borders. It helps reduce crimes such as terrorism within the specified zone. In addition, the travel authorization reduces the procedures and the various number of times one has to apply; it also stops irregular migration of people as people are encouraged to follow the correct process.

Etias Cost Charge

Getting an Etias Spain is pocket-friendly and very cost-effective. The charge fee required is seven pounds for each application. The charge is only valid to persons or individuals eighteen years of age and above.

Those below eighteen years of age are not allowed to pay for the process as the government has already catered for it.

Instances of When an Etias Application is Denied

One instance that can cause the travel authorization to be denied is if something is wrong with it, such as the applicant poses a security breach and risk to the people of the specified zones and its visitors. Moreover, the applicant is viewed as an epidemic risk and an illegal immigrant.

These two instances make it valid for one’s application to be denied. Another example is when the applicant used a document that had expired or lost, or invalidated by the Schengen Information System(SIS) when they applied for the authorization.

An Etias application of an applicant is denied when the applicant lacks to respond to a request for additional information or documentation within the prescribed deadline. In addition, an Etias application can be rejected when there is an existing alert by the SIS of the applicant for denying stay or entry.

Lastly, the travel information and authorisation can be denied or rejected in scenarios with severe and reasonable cause, like doubting the authenticity of the information given by the person applying and their uploaded documentation.

What happens when an Etias application is denied?

The application takes ten minutes, and one can get their feedback as soon as possible, just after their documents and application have been vetted. One receives an email response that states ‘congratulations!!!’ when their application and vetting process was a success. The answer will also be displayed on the status of the applicant’s Etias.

If the application is not approved, the applicant receives a denial message. In the statement, reasons for denial will be stated. If one is unsatisfied with the results, they could appeal the decision or correct what was wrong with their application and try again.

An Appeal of an Etias Travel Authorization Rejection

Every person that was denied an Etias has the right to appeal for their case to be heard and also so they can acquire a visa waiver if they have proof that the denial was out of a mistake from one of the documents and has been corrected. Therefore the applicant has every right to seek travel authorization.

The Etias National Unit of the country, which is responsible for denying the application, should clearly explain the applicant’s appeal procedure to ensure justice is served to the latter.

Repudiation of Etias Travel Authorization

An Etias travel authorization will be repudiated if the conditions for its issuance are not up to standard or have not been complied with. The rules of contract law are followed in this instance. The travel authorization will be revoked when serious grounds insinuate that the Etias document was acquired using fraud.

The repudiation also applies when the documentation used is reported lost. There is an alert whereby a person is refused to enter the country because they do not have valid documentation. The country that raises the warning will be the one in charge of the repudiation process of the travel authorization card.

The authorities of the member states that carry out an annulment or repudiation process are those who have the evidence or reasons behind the repudiation or by the Etias National Unit of the country, in which the applicant was declared to have reported first.

Can one enter a EU country with ETIAS authorization?

Having an ETIAS authorization does not give the applicant the privilege of entering the listed countries. The choice is left to the wariness of the border authorities of each country. Also, some countries in Europe are not within the specified zone; thus, one cannot enter with Etias authorization.

The applicant must first use the Etias authorization properly; they must travel or visit the initial country they selected when applying. For example, if one intends to go to France, Spain, and Australia and stated in the application that the first country they will visit is Spain. The applicant must first go to Spain before traveling to France and Australia. After the applicant visits the first country, they are at liberty to see the other two countries within 90days in the zone.

Is Etias required if one has a Schengen visa?

If one has a Schengen visa, they do not require an Etias travel authorization to visit Spain or eligible countries. One has to present their visa at the borders of each country; they are willing to stay.

One can apply for Etias authorization when their visa expires. It only applies when they are still legible to apply.

Do British people require an Etias authorization?

The Etias travel authorization has not been fully operational. It was stated that it would be operational by the end of 2024. When the idea is fully functional, most british will be required to apply for Etias, especially those who like traveling.

Some UK residents will not be legible to apply for ETIAS because they have passports from one or more countries, and the European Union has a visa system despite residing in Britain. The residents who will not be legible will have to apply for a Schengen visa to enter other countries within the zone.

Here is a post about UK citizens in Spain after Brexit.

Countries That Can Be Traveled from Spain

Once the European Commission established the Schengen area, there were no internal borders within the regions. A national within the zone with an Etias travel permit can travel to Portugal, Andorra, and France from Spain.

One can decide which mode of transport to use to reach the specified destination among the four countries. Other countries that can be traveled from Spain include; Luxembourg, Belgium, the Netherlands, Latvia, Austria, German, Sweden, Finland, Poland, Denmark, Estonia, Slovakia, Lithuania, Italy, Greece, Hungary, Switzerland, Iceland, Norway, Malta, Slovenia, Czech Republic, and Liechtenstein.

The countries mentioned can be traveled with Etias because they are in the same Schengen area. Also, any national from the above list of countries is eligible and can apply for an Etias.

In conclusion, many nationals in Europe are hoping for this proposal to be effective because it would be cheaper for the citizens to travel to their neighboring States by applying for an Etias. Furthermore, the travel authorization will boost harmonious activities within the countries.