Travelling to Europe and the Schengen Area

Looking for details about the altering UK entry guidelines? Read our article on travelling to the UK. 

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The Australian Government would not situation visas for different international locations, so we will not present remaining data on border guidelines. Before you journey, ask your vacation spot’s high commission, embassy, or consulate for particulars.

European entry and exit techniques

The European Union (EU) Entry/Exit System (EES)

The EES is at the moment inflicting delays of as much as 4-6 hours in some European airports. Travellers have missed flights because of this. Take delays into consideration when reserving your journey.

• Allow further time between connecting flights.
• Choose versatile flight choices.
• Arrive effectively earlier than your flight is because of go away.

Queues to entry EES self-service kiosks are lengthy. Be ready to face for an prolonged time. Take meals and water if wanted. If you might have mobility or well being considerations that restrict how lengthy you may stand, speak to airport assist workers.

The course of could also be faster if the nation you’re in allows you to give your preliminary knowledge utilizing an EES cellular app. But nonetheless be ready for delays.

The new digital European Union (EU) Entry/Exit System (EES) has began registering all non-EU nationals travelling in or out of the Schengen Area.

When you enter the Schengen space in your first go to to Europe, you will want to:

• have your fingerprints and picture taken
• reply Schengen Border Code questions.

This will create a digital file that registers your biometric particulars.

If you revisit the Schengen Area inside 3 years of making your digital file, you may solely want to supply your fingerprint and/or {photograph} on the border on entry and exit.

The EES is free. You needn’t do something earlier than arriving on the border. Be alert to fraudulent web sites that say you want to register or pay a price earlier than you journey to the EU. Only use official EU techniques to supply your knowledge.

Schengen Area journey period guidelines apply to visa-free journey. The EES makes it simpler for native authorities to see in case you have overstayed. 

Read extra about journey period in ‘Do I need a visa for the Schengen Area?‘ under.

The European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS)

The ETIAS is separate from EES.

There isn’t any confirmed date for the implementation of ETIAS. The European Union will announce the date a number of months earlier than its launch.

Once applied, travellers visiting any of the 30 collaborating European international locations visa-free might want to get an ETIAS travel authorisation previous to journey.

Applications are usually not but open. Be cautious of fraudulent web sites claiming to promote ETIAS authorisations. Apply solely by means of the official EU web site as soon as the system is launched. Stay subscribed to your vacation spot to listen to updates.

ETIAS and twin citizenship

Dual residents of collaborating European international locations or Ireland will not be eligible for an ETIAS travel authorisation.

If you are a twin citizen of Australia and an ETIAS nation, as soon as the system is applied you will not have the ability to enter any collaborating international locations utilizing your Australian passport. You’ll should enter utilizing the passport out of your different nation of citizenship.

Passport software wait occasions in some international locations will be very lengthy. Apply quickly in case you:

• haven’t got a passport out of your different nation of citizenship
• have an expired passport and must have it renewed.

If you are uncertain in case you’re a citizen of a collaborating nation, contact the nation’s embassy or consulate in Australia. You could also be denied entry to your vacation spot in case you journey in your Australian passport with out checking your citizenship.

If you are a twin citizen, make sure you take your Australian passport with you. You’ll want it to return to Australia. 

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The Schengen Area

The Schengen space is made up of 29 European international locations with widespread border guidelines. It lets travellers transfer freely between Schengen international locations with out:

• going by means of border controls
• getting a visa for every nation.

Countries within the Schengen space

*Smartraveller doesn’t present journey recommendation for these locations.

Do I would like a visa for the Schengen space?

Australians can journey to the Schengen space for brief journeys and not using a visa for as much as 90 days in any 180-day interval. Your journey have to be for:

• tourism, holidays, or visiting family and friends
• enterprise functions in your Australian employer, to attend conferences, conferences or conduct analysis
• cultural and sports activities occasions
• getting medical remedy
• transit

You may have to use for a visa if you don’t meet the standards listed.

Apply at the embassy, high commission, or consulate of the nation the place you may keep the longest. If you might be staying for a similar size of time in every nation, apply on the embassy of the nation you may go to first.

You’ll want to use for a visa if:

• you are planning to remain for greater than 90 days
• your cause for journey modifications, and also you not qualify for visa-free journey.

You’ll want to use for a visa outdoors the nation you need to go to.

Calculating 90 days in any 180-day interval

Calculating your visa-free days will be sophisticated. You can use the  EU short-stay calculator as a useful device to examine the period of your authorised keep.

You may ask the passport management officers at exterior borders for this data.

What occurs in case you overstay?

The EES can determine in case you have overstayed your 90 days utilizing your digital file. Your digital file is connected to you as an individual, not your passport. That means even in case you use a distinct passport, the system will nonetheless know in case you’ve overstayed your visa. This is completed utilizing your biometric particulars.

If you do overstay, you might be:

• fined
• detained
• faraway from the nation
• prevented from returning to the Schengen space sooner or later.

Staying greater than 90 days in Europe

Australia has visa waiver agreements with a number of international locations within the Schengen space. Some international locations enable Australians to remain past the 90-day restrict below particular situations. Visa waiver settlement international locations embrace:

*Smartraveller doesn’t present journey recommendation for this vacation spot.

Using visa waiver agreements with Schengen visa-free preparations is advanced. Each nation operates the visa waiver in its personal means.

You will solely have the ability to entry one bilateral visa waiver settlement along with the 90-day visa free brief keep within the Schengen Area. 

When you enter the Schengen Area for the primary time, it’s best to inform the border guard that you just plan to make use of a bilateral visa waiver settlement to remain longer than 90 days.

Most international locations want you to make use of the visa waiver on the finish of your Schengen space journey.

Non-Schengen European international locations

Some European international locations outdoors the Schengen space enable vacationers to enter visa-free. Most let guests keep for as much as 90 days, however some enable longer stays.

Passport validity necessities

You should present a sound passport when getting into the Schengen Area.

Your passport have to be:

• legitimate for at the very least 3 months after the date you plan to go away the EU
• should have been issued throughout the final 10 years

The introduction of the EES will regularly substitute the necessity for handbook stamps in your passport. Until 10 April 2026, your passport might or will not be stamped, relying in your level of entry.

Some international locations want you to register inside 3 days of arrival.

See our destination-specific journey recommendation for entry and exit particulars for every nation.

If you are a twin nationwide travelling on one other passport, examine the principles for that nationality.

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