ETIAS Visa Waiver For Travelers From Brunei

Brunei is one of the 60 nations joining the ETIAS (European Travel Information and Authorisation System) visa waiver system. Bruneians will be able to enter the Schengen nations without a full visa for short periods. Until its launch in January 2023, Bruneians must make the usual visa arrangements.

The ETIAS Visa Waiver has replaced the standard visa for short-term travel to the Schengen area. The world is becoming tenser with terrorism and foreign espionage presenting a growing risk.

ETIAS is hoped to better screen those entering the EU, by leveraging Interpol data to find threats before they can come to the EU. ETIAS should therefore make the EU safer.

The ETIAS visa will be needed for Bruneians to travel to the Schengen countries. Note that Norway, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and Iceland are not in the EU.

The defacto Schengen states that Bruneians can access with their ETIAS visa are the micro-states held within Schengen nations. These are Monaco in France, and Vatican City and San Marino in Italy.

All Bruneians making short-term travel to the Schengen area will need an ETIAS visa waiver. This is the case regardless of age. ETIAS visa waivers need to be arranged for the under-18s and over-70s, but these Bruneians have no need to pay an application fee.

The ETIAS system will be rapid. Applications will be processed in one day, with a 95% initial acceptance rate. Sometimes, more documentation will be needed without outright refusal. The application will still be quick; resolved in three working days.

With their ETIAS visa, Bruneians travel to the Schengen area once. The trip can take up to 90 days and must be made within three years of the ETIAS visa waiver being awarded.

Filling out the online form is easy. Some legally implicating information is required, like illegal drug use, past and current employment, previous visits to Europe, and more importantly terrorism connections, travel to conflict areas, and connections to human trafficking. However, most of the inquiries are basic, such as the applicant’s name, current address, birthdate and birthplace, travel itinerary, and their parents’ information.

In terms of documentation, most Bruneians will only need a passport, an address, and a credit or debit card. Some Bruneians may find that they need more documentation if there are issues with their application, though this should not affect many Bruneians.

The EU has determined three reasons that an ETIAS application should be rejected.

If there are lies on an application, the Bruneian will not be able to obtain an ETIAS visa, as they will be seen as an untrustworthy person. Moreover, if Interpol finds them to be a risk, the EU must keep its citizens safe. Finally, the EU must be comfortable that the travel itinerary of the Bruneian is consistent with their reasons for travelling.

When an ETIAS visa waiver application is rejected, it will not necessarily never be accepted. Usually, the matter can be cleared up with lots more documentation. The decision is moved to the receiving nation and they have four weeks to make a decision.

For the minority of applicants who have their applications totally rejected, no ETIAS visa is required. They still need paperwork to enter the Schengen area though.

Those with rejected applications can join the Bruneians wishing to stay in the Schengen area for more than 90 days. They should go through the process of getting a standard longer-term visa.

If a Bruneian is not traveling to the Schengen area, they also will not need an ETIAS visa waiver. Not all nations in Europe are in the Schengen area, including a minority of EU nations such as Cyprus, and Romania, and nations outside both the EU and the Schengen agreement. These include the United Kingdom and Russia.