Malaysians who want to visit European Union (EU) member countries and the Schengen Zone will need to have a European Travel Authorisation and Information System (ETIAS) travel permit starting next year (2024).
The Schengen Zone is a group of 27 countries in Europe that have abolished their borders.
According to a report by Berita Harian, the ETIAS application must be done online and it is required for visitors from visa-free countries to enter the Schengen Zone.
Malaysian passport holders are currently listed in the 63 visa-free countries to access 30 EU member countries and the Schengen Zone.
So, starting next year, Malaysians will need to apply through ETIAS, which operates through a fully electronic system aimed at monitoring ‘visa-free’ visitors entering the Schengen Zone.
The 30 countries that require ETIAS are Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.
“ETIAS will carry out detailed security checks on each application to determine whether they can be allowed to enter any Schengen Zone country,”
“Even if citizens from countries that do not require a visa for the purpose of traveling up to 90 days in the EU, ETIAS will ensure that these people are not a security threat,” shared the Schengen Visa Info website.
This travel authorisation system will collect, track and update the necessary information about visitors to determine whether it is safe for them to enter the Schengen countries.
Each ETIAS application will be charged a fee of 7 Euros (RM36) but no fee will be charged for applications under the age of 18 and ETIAS will be valid for a period of 3 years.
What do you think about this? Do feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section.
Also read: MOH: Face Masks No Longer Mandatory But Highly Encouraged While Using Public Transport
