ETIAS Visa Waiver for Travelers from North Macedonia

North Macedonian people will join the growing international community who can only enter the Schengen area for short-term periods with an ETIAS (European Travel Information and Authorization System) visa waiver. There are now 60 ETIAS countries whose residents must obtain an ETIAS visa waiver for this kind of travel, before its planned launch in 2023.

ETIAS comes with a host of access rights to 26 nations in Europe, but it also comes with many travel restrictions. All of this is detailed below.

On top of their digital ETIAS visa waiver, North Macedonians will also have to ensure they download their Digitial Covid Certificate for Europe.

Citizens of Macedonia will lose the ability to enter the EU without any visa-type documentation in 2023. The world is simply too dangerous to have such a generous entrance policy, and new technology has allowed the EU to screen much more incomers.

The use of AI technology by border control agencies means they can cross-reference North Macedonians data with more databases and they can easily define who might be too much of a threat to alow into the Schengen area. The planned regulations for the treatment of criminal convictions has recently changed to be slightly more forgiving. Flags for criminal convictions will not show up if the conviction was more than 15 years ago. The changes are also more forgiving to past terrorists, granting access if their conviction was more than 25 years ago.

Tracking incoming North Macedonian will also make it easier for the EU to identify travellers who pose a public health risk. This will be crucial for the EU’s tackling of future pandemics.

The ETIAS visa is set to have an acceptance rate of 95% so it is more likely to be an annoyance to most North Macedonians rather than a serious barrier to their entrance rights.

Short-term in the case of the ETIAS visa waiver is not actually that short, and it gives North Macedonians the time required to properly explore the Schengen area. There is a limit though and stays that are longer than 90 days are considered periods of residency. For such long stays, residency permits, and normal visas are needed.

The age of the North Macedonian changes nothing about whether they will need an ETIAS or not. The only benefit for the elderly and the young is that they won’t have to pay the 7-euro application fee.

The ETIAS visa has no authority outside of the Schengen area. North Macedonians must liaise with their local representative of all non-Schengen European nations before they can travel to them. In most cases, they will have to arrange travel visas with them.

Sadly, around 5% of North Macedonians will receive a rejection, and many of these will still be unsuccessful after the appeals process. Being defined by the EU as a threat will make it near impossible for the North Macedonian to get hold of a standard visa, but this is the only option they have left.

The ETIAS visa gives North Macedonians the right to visit all the nations listed below.

This list features every European nation that is involved in ETIAS visa waiver scheme, including all those inside the Schengen area, both in and out of the EU, and the micro-states with a defacto Schengen status. There are 26 such nations in total.

The documentation included in the ETIAS requirements is simple. They include the North Macedonian applicant's passport, credit card, and proof of address.

Basic personal information like birthplace, birthdate, and full name are also required, with an expectation that the answers will corroborate with the provided documentation. There are more detailed questions that North Macedonian must answer, having a more noticeable effect on whether their ETIAS application is accepted. They are...

A refusal is not always a total blocking of the North Macedonian’s right to enter the Schengen area. They might still be able to enter the EU with an ETIAS visa waiver by appealing the rejection. After giving any further information or documentation the EU requires, they must wait a further four weeks for an answer.