KUALA LUMPUR, June 30 — All Malaysians wishing to travel to Europe will need to obtain a special travel document called the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS).
Malaysian citizens will be eligible for this travel pass in 2024 and may apply for it online at its website.
The ETIAS is an electronic visa waiver for citizens of select visa-exempt countries and is not a visa. Meeting ETIAS requirements means you do not need a visa to enter participating nations and if you do not have an approved ETIAS travel authorization or do not qualify for ETIAS enrollment, you can still acquire a Schengen visa to visit.
The ETIAS programme will take effect from 2024 onwards and is intended to screen travellers arriving from overseas as a response to the global increase in terrorist activities.
According to the website, in the year 2024, citizens from Malaysia will be required to complete an ETIAS application prior to boarding an aircraft, sea carrier, or coach vehicle for Europe, and this includes travellers who will only be transiting in Europe en route to other destinations.
Any Malaysian citizen that wishes to enter Europe for over 90 days, or for other purposes than those allowed under the ETIAS programme will need to apply for a Schengen visa.
The ETIAS will be valid for three years. To submit an ETIAS application, you will need a valid passport and a method of payment for the application fee of €7 (RM35.60).
Your travel documents, such as a current machine-readable or electronic passport, are required to complete the ETIAS application. The documents will need to be valid for more than three months from the intended day of departure from the European Union (EU) and be no older than 10 years from the date of issue.
If you are related to a citizen of either the EU or an European Free Trade Association country, then you can apply for an exemption.
Most applications take between a few minutes to 96 hours to be processed, although if any additional information or interviews with EU authorities are required, the waiting period could take up to an additional 30 days to complete.
