Do I Need to Apply for Separate ETIAS for Each Country I Visit?

No, if you are visiting several countries in the Schengen Area, you can use the same ETIAS for travelling in each one, as long as your reasons for visiting match the requirements of the ETIAS . The borders within the Schengen Area have been removed to enable freedom of movement around the area, with the authorities in each country working collaboratively to share security data and other relevant information to protect their borders.

However, when you are travelling in the Schengen countries, authorities of the country you are travelling in may conduct spot checks for security purposes and request to see your travel documentation.

When you are travelling to other EU countries that are not within the Schengen Area, you will need to check the travel authorisation requirements for those countries to see whether you require a visa. The list of countries whose citizens require an ETIAS to visit the Schengen Area is subject to change, so it is important to keep up to date with the latest travel requirements for your country and the country you are travelling to.

Your ETIAS will be valid for three years or until your passport expires, whichever date is the soonest. Within these three years, you will be able to visit as many countries in the Schengen Area as you want to, so you could travel around Europe for a period of up to the 90-day limit, spending time in places like Italy, France and Spain, using the same ETIAS for your trip.

You can also travel to and from Europe as many times as you want to using the ETIAS while it is still valid, so you could holiday in Portugal one month and visit Germany a few months afterwards, or wherever it is that you want to visit within the Schengen Area.

Similarly, you can use the ETIAS for multiple business trips. For example, you might have a number of company offices based around the Schengen Area, which you need to visit occasionally. The ETIAS is ideal for short business trips such as this, where your visit will be for less than 90 days in total in the Schengen Area. You can also use the ETIAS to attend business conferences or to meet with prospective clients and numerous other business-related purposes.

The ETIAS was specifically created to ensure that business trips and tourism are not made difficult through the requirement of a visa, it is intended to boost the tourism and trade opportunities around Schengen and the countries that are ETIAS members.

If your passport that the ETIAS is linked to expires, the ETIAS is no longer valid, so you would be required to apply for a new ETIAS for all of your future visits to the Schengen Zone. You cannot renew or extend an ETIAS, you simply complete the application process over again, completing the online form and then your new ETIAS will be linked to your new passport.