Clarification Regarding the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS)
Türkiye will NOT be part of ETIAS, and Turkish visa-free travellers will NOT be required to apply for ETIAS.
- ETIAS is a new travel requirement for nationals of visa-exempt countries when entering the Schengen area or Cyprus for a short stay (90 days within a 180-day period). Travelers will need to obtain an ETIAS travel authorisation before their trip, for which they will be able to apply on the official ETIAS website once the system goes live. It must be noted that ETIAS is not a visa, it is an electronic travel authorisation.
- Since Türkiye is not a visa-exempt country, Turkish nationals do not fall within the scope of ETIAS. They will require a visa – and not an ETIAS travel authorisation – to cross the EU’s external borders.
- Since ETIAS is not applicable to them, Turkish nationals who can travel visa-free (e.g. holders of diplomatic passports or ‘green passports’) will not need to apply for an ETIAS travel authorisation. They will be able to travel without a visa and without an ETIAS travel authorisation.
- The entry into operation of ETIAS is linked to the go-live of another EU large scale IT system – the Entry/Exit System (EES). The EES is designed to replace passport stamping with electronic records of entries, exits and refusals of entry of non-EU nationals travelling to the Schengen area for a short stay. On 4 December 2024, the Commission put forward a proposal for a Regulation to enable a progressive start of operations of the EES which is now in the hands of EU’s co-legislators. When the co-legislators will reach an agreement on the proposal, the EES will be deployed progressively. The Commission trusts that the negotiations will advance swiftly to allow for the start of operations of the EES as soon as possible. ETIAS will start operating as soon as possible after the end of the EES’ progressive deployment.
