WHERE CAN MEXICAN CITIZENS TRAVEL TO IN EUROPE WITH AN ETIAS?

Mexican citizens wishing to travel with an ETIAS to Europe and the Schengen zone will be permitted entry to all member states once they have arrived at their specified country of entry. This means instead of, for example, Mexicans needing a visa for France or Spain and being restricted to visiting one country, they will have the authorization to enter the Schengen bloc and travel around the zone freely for up to 3 months at a time.

After landing in their selected state of entry, Mexican visitors can then travel to any of the 22 EU member countries which are part of Schengen such as France, Germany, Spain or Poland. They will also be able to travel to the 4 EFTA non-EU member countries such as Iceland and Norway. Additionally, ETIAS also extends to the Canary Islands and Madeira, which are physically outside the EU but remain within the bloc’s borders.

ETIAS will also be required to visit Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyrpus and Romania which are EU countries in the process of joining the Schengen Area.

ETIAS VISA WAIVER REQUIREMENTS FOR MEXICAN CITIZENS

The Europe visa waiver for Mexicans will allow tourists to enter Europe through any land, sea or airport and travel freely throughout the EU zone with just the one European travel authorization approved before departure. The following EU visa waiver requirements for Mexican citizens will be necessary in order to apply for the ETIAS visa waiver:

• A valid Mexican passport
• Credit/Debit card
• Valid email address

It is essential that all Mexicans traveling to Europe have a Mexican passport which is valid for at least 3 months beyond the intended date of arrival in Europe.

STEPS TO TRAVELING TO EUROPE WITH A MEXICAN PASSPORT

In order to apply successfully for the new ETIAS visa waiver system, Mexican citizens will need to follow a number of steps online. First, they will need to access the ETIAS online application form. Once open they will need to do the following:

1. PROVIDE BIOMETRIC DETAILS:

During this step of the registration, Mexicans will be asked to provide their personal information such as your full name, maiden name (if married), as well as their date and place of birth. They will also be required to indicate their Mexican nationality and gender. These will ensure the citizen can be correctly identified and pass easily through airport security.

2. SUBMIT IDENTIFYING AND SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS:

Applicants will need to submit their Mexican passport information. They will then need to indicate their passport’s number, issue date, and expiry date. The passport should have 3 months validity remaining from the date of arrival into the Schengen area.

3. INPUT UP-TO-DATE CONTACT INFORMATION:

The applicant will need to fill in their current address in Mexico, a registered email address (this must be correct as this is where they will receive their approved ETIAS), and a contact telephone number.

4. DETAIL THE COUNTRY OF ARRIVAL INTO THE SCHENGEN AREA:

A key detail of the ETIAS is that applicants will need to indicate the Schengen member state you will visit first from Mexico. However, once inside the Schengen zone visitors will be able to visit all member states for up to 90 days. Be aware also that for security reasons the border authorities of the country the applicant arrives to will also have the final say on whether they are allowed or not into the country and the Schengen area.

5. ANSWER A NUMBER OF PERSONAL SITUATION QUESTIONS:

In this section, the applicant will be asked a series of questions related to their educational background and current employment status in Mexico. These are intended to ensure that applicants are not seeking to enter the Schengen zone to seek work in Europe with an ETIAS (this is not permitted with this travel authorization document).

6. COMPLETE A SELECTION OF SECURITY QUESTIONS:

To ensure that the goal of increasing border security and preventing terrorism activities in the Schengen zone is met, applicants will be required to answer a number of security questions when applying for an ETIAS. During this part of the application process, they will be asked if they have travelled to active conflict zones and whether or not they have a criminal record in Mexico. Mexican citizens will also be asked if you have previously overstayed a visa or been deported from a member state in the past.

7. INDICATE ANY FAMILIAL RELATIONSHIP WITH ANY EUROPEAN CITIZENS YOU’RE VISITING (OPTIONAL):

During this optional step, applying Mexican citizens will be asked to confirm their relationship to any EU citizens or third-country nationals living in member states they will be staying with during their trip to the Schengen area of Europe.

Once your application has been submitted the information will be checked against numerous criminal, citizen and informational databases. This process will ensure that the applicant’s details are correct and that their data can be stored, cross-referenced and shared with the correct authorities to guarantee you can enter the bloc safely and securely. These databases include:

• SIS
• VIS
• EUROPOL
• SLTD (INTERPOL)
• TDAWN (INTERPOL)
• EURODAC

The application will be processed electronically via these systems and should be approved within a few minutes up to a couple of days. Once approved successful applicants will receive their ETIAS via email. From there it can be printed and presented along with a passport when entering the EU Schengen area.