The European Union (EU) is set to launch the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) mobile app on both iOS and Android platforms by mid-2025.
Upon implementation, non-EU citizens from 60 countries eligible for visa-free travel in the EU will have to obtain ETIAS approval to travel within the EU. They can also pay the €7 (R130) ETIAS fee through the app.
South Africans are not eligible for visa-free travel to the EU and therefore, do not require ETIAS approval to travel within the EU.
Eu-LISA, the agency responsible for the technology behind ETIAS, said the app would not require travellers to input their biometric data.
According to schengen.news, the app will be available in all the languages of the EU Member States. In cases where the app is not available to travellers, they can complete the ETIAS application and receive authorisation through the ETIAS website.
More details of registration will be revealed closer to the app’s launch.
