In May 2023, the European Union plans to introduce its automated European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS) for regulating travel into the EU's Schengen Area for non-EU nationals who do not need a visa to enter the EU, the EU delegation to Bosnia and Herzegovina confirmed to the Bosnian Fena news agency on Thursday.

“The ETIAS does not introduce the obligation to have a visa for travelers from countries for which the visa-free travel regime in the EU is enabled, including travelers from Bosnia and Herzegovina. Citizens of third countries who do not need a visa to travel to the Schengen zone will need to apply for a travel authorization before their trip using a simple procedure via the ETIAS website or mobile application and will have to pay a €7 fee for this. The obtained ETIAS authorisation will be valid for three years,” the EU Delegation said.

Logging in to the application should not take more than 10 minutes and should not require any documentation other than a travel document (passport or another equivalent document). In case the applicant cannot apply themselves due to age, low level of literacy, low competence in using information technologies, etc., the application can be submitted by a third person.

The European Commission states that the number of automatically approved applicants will be over 95 percent, and applicants will receive an approval within a few minutes after payment.

“If there is a disapproval in any of the searched databases or an indecisive outcome of the automated process, a unit in the European Border and Coast Guard Agency or the relevant institution will conduct a manual review of the entry request,” the Delegation told Fena.