ETIAS Visa Waiver for Travelers from Marshall Islands

Marshall Islands is set to join the 60 ETIAS countries when it is launched in 2023. They will need an ETIAS (European Travel Information and Authorization System) visa waiver for short-term travel into the EU.

The EU is ahead of schedule for setting up the systems required for the ETIAS visa waiver to function efficiently. The set-up was complete from August 3rd. However, Marshall Islanders shouldn’t panic as there are no plans to move the launch date forward.

Before this new visa waiver was introduced, it was not required and impossible to enforce such a system. The world was a safer place and the required technology had not yet been created and Marshall Islanders could enter the EU for short-term travel exceedingly easily. However, AI technology is now in place to make advance screening possible, and the EU must use it to tackle the growing threat of terrorism and human trafficking.

The ETIAS visa waiver complicates EU travel for Marshall Islanders, and with getting an acceptance taking as long as four weeks if appeals are required, they must prepare their ETIAS visa long in advance of their planned travel. However, the visa waiver will have an acceptance rate of 95%, so the ETIAS will not pose a barrier to most Marshall Islanders.

The ETIAS visa gives Marshall Islanders the right to visit all the nations listed below.

This list features all 26 official and defacto Schengen states.

Simple documentation is needed for Marshall Islanders to complete their ETIAS application. Making copies of their passport, and proof of address should be easy for all Marshall Islanders.

Some of the questions asked of Marshall Islanders are similarly basic, covering personal information like their full name. Other questions are more stringent, intending to protect EU citizens from all threats. They are…

All Marshall Islanders making short-term travel to the Schengen area will need to get this new visa waiver, and most of them will have to pay a 7-euro application fee. Only minors and people over 70 are exempt from this fee.

Some circumstances, detailed below, will need Marshall Islanders to arrange standard visas to travel to the EU.

The ETIAS visa has limits on the timespan and location of Marshall Islanders travel in the EU. Alternative visas are needed if a Marshall Islander’s planned travel exceeds these limits.

The main boundary for the ETIAS visa is the borders of the Schengen area. Nations outside of it, like Britain and Russia, have totally independent immigration policies. Marshall Islanders will need to arrange visas for these nations separately.

Around 5% of Marshall Islanders will receive rejections, but unsuccessful appeals do not mean they can never enter the EU. They will need to arrange standard visas for their travel into the Schengen Area.

Marshall Islanders with past serious criminal and terrorist convictions will have a hard time getting an ETIAS visa waiver. The regulation has recently been eased but not by much. Criminal convictions will now remain on the system for 15 years, and terrorist convictions for 25 years.

The global Covid-19 crisis has shown the EU that they must take steps to protect their citizens from infectious diseases and the pandemics of the future. The ETIAS has therefore gained a new purpose of identifying travellers who pose a public health risk. Sadly, it may now become harder for unwell Marshall Islanders to visit the EU.

Marshall Islanders can take advantage of the inbuilt appeals systems, whereby rejections come with requests for more information or documentation to clear up discrepancies. They will have 96 hours to provide this and then must wait four weeks for an answer.