ETIAS for Colombians (2023)

Visa-free access is a major reason why so many Colombian nationals visit Europe. Colombian passport holders can travel to the Schengen Area without a visa for up to 90 days per 180-day period.

Colombian citizens will continue to be granted 90-day visa-free stays within the European Union for leisure, tourism, business, and transit once the European Travel Information and Authorisation System, ETIAS comes into effect in 2024.

ETIAS is a visa waiver programme that is being established by the European Commission with the intention to carry out registration and control of all the visa-exempt travelers that visit Schengen Area countries.

The European Union has announced that as of 2024 Colombian citizens of all ages who wish to visit the countries that comprise the Schengen Area for business or tourism will be able to apply for an ETIAS visa waiver.

Colombian travel to Europe for leisure and business

The two main reasons why Colombians visit Europe are:

• Tourism
• Business

ETIAS is valid for short-term leisure and business trips in Europe. Colombians in Europe for business can also do some sightseeing and engage in tourist activities.

According to a 2021 survey carried out by the Asociación Colombiana de Agencias de Viajes y Turismo, the holidays Colombians are most interested in are:

• Sun and beach vacations
• Visiting cities
• Ecotourism

European destinations offer plenty of opportunities for each of these types of tourism.

Colombians can also travel to Europe with ETIAS for short business trips. The types of business activities covered by ETIAS include:

• Conferences
• Meetings
• Industry events

Several major companies have offices in Europe and Colombia. Businesses in sectors including banking, financial services, and retail are present in cities across Europe and Colombia.

Accenture, Amazon, Deloitte, IBM are some of the largest companies represented in both Europe and Colombia.

What Are Colombian Nationals Required To Do Before They Travel To Europe?

Colombians need a valid passport to travel to the Schengen Area. Once ETIAS is fully operational, Colombian citizens will also be required to enroll with the ETIAS authorisation.

To register with ETIAS, Colombians must have following requirements at hand when they access the online application:

• A Colombian passport valid for at least 3 months after the intended date of departure from European ETIAS countries
• A current email address to receive the approved ETIAS
• A valid debit card or credit card to pay the ETIAS visa waiver fee

It is a mandatory requirement that all ETIAS applicants have a valid biometric passport that is machine-readable. If the Colombian citizen’s passport nears expiration date, the traveller is advised to renew the passport before enrolling with ETIAS.

Colombians visiting the European Union must travel with the same passport used during the ETIAS application. This is because ETIAS is electronically linked to a single passport, the exact passport used during the online application process.

The ETIAS visa waiver has a 3-year validity starting from the date on which it was approved. However if the passport expires prior to this, the electronic travel authorisation would be rendered null.

Colombian Citizens ETIAS Application

The ETIAS online application for Colombians is easy and straightforward and should require no more than 10 minutes to complete on your smartphone, tablet, or personal computer.

In order to register, Colombian citizens will be asked to disclose the following information:

• First, last, and middle name, as they appear on the bio page of the citizen’s passport
• Passport data including the country and date of issue, and expiry date, as well as the complete passport number
• Travel plans, including the first country the Colombian national intends to enter within the Schengen Area

Besides the ETIAS requisites for Colombian nationals previously mentioned, each Colombian traveler will be asked to answer some simple questions pertaining to health as well as security matters.

Applicants are advised to carefully revise all of the information entered in the form for accuracy. This is because any errors or inconsistencies in the data may delay the processing time, or, in some cases, even result in the ETIAS being denied.

Once approved, usually within a couple of business days, the European visa waiver for Colombian citizens is sent to the email address provided during the application process.

The EU ETIAS visa waiver grants Colombian citizens the permission to visit any of the European countries that are part of the Schengen zone. This means there is no need to re-apply before traveling to a different country in Europe.

ETIAS Security Information For Colombian Citizens

All of the information entered by Colombian passport holders in their ETIAS Europe visa waiver application is checked against a number of security databases, including Interpol and the ETIAS watchlist.

These security databases are managed by the same agency that is behind the implementation of ETIAS: The European Union Agency for the Operational Management of Large-Scale IT Systems in the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice, which is otherwise known as eu-LISA.

Some of the other security databases used for screening include:

• VIS, which mainly compiles visa information
• SIS, which is used to identify individuals suspected to have a criminal record, missing people, and stolen assets
• EURODAC, which compiles fingerprint data

All of the security procedures linked to ETIAS are being designed and implemented for the purpose of strengthening security at European borders, for both visitors and residents alike.

In the event that a Colombian passport holder’s application gets flagged by the system during the security database check, the form will be manually processed by EU officials. This means that processing will take slightly longer, but the ETIAS should still be approved.