ETIAS (European Travel Authorisation System) is expected to have great benefits for France and European countries and international travellers alike. Visitors can expect a smoother and more effective screening process at the border.
Travelling visa-free to France and across Europe will become easier and safer and help in the fight against serious international crimes such as terrorism.
There are over 50 eligible nationalities that will be able to take advantage of the new electronic system starting from 2026. This means that a great number of holidaymakers and businessmen and women will be able to enjoy a safer European experience.
Keep reading to learn more about the role that ETIAS will play in the fight against terrorism and international crime.
Strenghtening the France and European external border
ETIAS is an electronic authorisation system for the Schengen Area. The Schengen Area is the European free-movement zone that EU citizens and visitors can cross freely. There are no internal hard borders within the Schengen territory except for emergency situations when temporary borders can be established.
The only hard borders are those between a Schengen and a non-Schengen territory. Document and customs check focus here and at international airports, ports, and stations.
This is great news for international travellers who wish to visit several EU countries within the same trip minimising hassle and waiting times. However, it also means that it is hard to track movement within the area once a visitor has crossed the external border.
That is why processes at the external border are being optimised (also thanks to ETIAS) to prevent a potential terrorist threat before it enters the Schengen area.
Quicker, more reliable document checks
Checks at the external border are expected to be swifter and, at the same time, more thorough thanks to ETIAS.
That is because the online authorisation is electronically linked to the holder’s biometric passport, making identification easier and more reliable. Smart gates at the borders will also help reduce queues and the risk of human error.
Safer document checkpoints mean a lower risk of identity theft. Therefore, law enforcement will have better tools to identify terrorists who are posing as visa-free travellers.
More manpower to fight terrorism
Automated passport checks mean that the European officers at the external border will have to handle a lower routine work volume and will be able to step in quicker in case of a potential threat.
Visitors should rest assured that even though they may not have to speak with them directly as their passport is being checked, European authorities are overseeing security at the border and are available for any safety concern that may arise.
Shared security database
Once they register with ETIAS for France online, applicants are checked against several European security databases. These include, for example, SIS, EUROPOL DATA, and Interpol as well as local police data.
By cross-checking the traveller’s information against several national and international databases, immigration and border security officers will have a much better chance of identifying individuals who represent a potential threat to the safety of people in France and Europe.
For example, if someone has been flagged for terrorism or other illegal activity in one Schengen country’s police system, this will show before the foreign individual is granted entry into Europe, even though they are trying to access it from another Schengen nation.
Moreover, if an applicant has been denied a European visa in the past and then has acquired visa-free nationality, the circumstances of their visa denial will be verified anyway before they can be granted an ETIAS authorisation.
Safer visa-free travel with ETIAS
Unlike unregistered visa-free travel, the ETIAS system also provides the possibility of tracking overstayers.
European countries want to make tourism and business travel easy and smooth for international visitors but not at the cost of safety. Thanks to ETIAS, it will be possible to see at first glance if someone is staying in the European territory longer than the permitted 90 days per trip without having to introduce a new visa.
At the same time, it will be possible to access information about the traveller’s previous trips to Europe, recognising potential behavioural patterns that can suggest involvement in terrorist activities.
Please note: all data collected by ETIAS is stored securely and inaccessible to the public. Only authorised personnel such as law enforcement and border control officers can retrieve traveller information from the system.
