ETIAS has no fingerprint scan. What the application asks

ETIAS will not ask for your fingerprints, a face scan or any biometric data. That step happens at the border, under the Entry/Exit System, which is already live. ETIAS is entirely online: you complete a form from home, pay €20 and receive a decision by email. Here is exactly what that form asks, and who sees the data afterwards.

What the application form collects

The ETIAS form is set out in Article 17 of EU Regulation 2018/1240. It covers seven categories.

• Identity: full name, date of birth, place of birth, current nationality and any other nationalities you hold, plus the first names of both parents.
• Travel document: passport type, number, issuing country and expiry date. Only a passport is accepted, not a national identity card.
• Contact details: home address, email address and telephone number.
• Intended destination: the first Schengen country you plan to enter. If you visit several countries on one trip, the entry point country is used to assign your application to the relevant national authority if manual review is needed.
• Occupation and education: your current employment and job title, or your most recent level of education if you are not working.
• Country of residence: where you currently live, if different from your passport nationality.
• EU or Schengen family members: if you have a close family member who is an EU citizen or a Schengen country national, you provide their name, nationality and your relationship. This affects how certain applications are processed under EU free movement rules.

The system also logs the IP address from which you submit the application. This forms part of your ETIAS file and is used for security analysis.

The background questions

Beyond personal information, the form includes a set of yes/no questions on security and immigration history. A yes answer does not mean automatic refusal. It routes the application to manual review by the ETIAS National Unit of the country you named as your intended first destination.

• Criminal convictions:whether you have been convicted of any offence on the list in the regulation’s Annex within the past 15 years. For terrorism-related convictions, the window extends to 25 years.
• Return decisions: whether you have been subject to a return decision or deportation order from any country in the past 10 years.
• Conflict zones: whether you have been present in a war or conflict zone in the past 10 years, and if so, in what capacity.
• Public health: whether you have a health condition that poses a public health risk under international health regulations.
• Previous visa or entry refusals: whether any country has ever refused you a visa or entry. This question is covered in detail in the visa refusal and ETIAS guide.

The criminal convictions question is explored in full in the ETIAS criminal record guide, including which specific offences are in scope and how the review works in practice.

What the form does not involve

No appointment, no consulate visit and no face-to-face meeting of any kind. You do not attend a visa centre or send physical documents. The application is online from start to finish.

No fingerprints, no facial photograph and no biometric enrolment. The confusion between ETIAS and the Entry/Exit System (EES) is common, because both apply to the same group of travellers and are frequently discussed together. But they do different things. ETIAS is the online authorisation you obtain before you fly. EES is the biometric registration that happens at the border post when you arrive. The EES vs ETIAS explainer sets out what each system records and why both exist.

Most ETIAS applications are decided automatically within a few minutes. Applications flagged for manual review can take up to 96 hours. A small number may enter an extended 30-day review if additional information is requested.

Who can access your ETIAS data

The ETIAS Central Unit, operated by Frontex, processes every application and holds the file. If your application goes to manual review, the National Unit of your intended first destination country can also access it.

Law enforcement access is permitted but restricted. EU member state police authorities and Europol can consult ETIAS records to prevent, detect or investigate terrorist offences and other serious criminal offences. This requires a formal request through a designated national authority and is not a routine check on every traveller.

Airlines and ferry operators cannot read your file. When a carrier checks your ETIAS status before boarding, they receive a single answer: valid or not valid. The contents of your application are not transmitted to them.

Your rights over the data

Under EU data protection rules, you have the right to ask the ETIAS Central Unit for access to the data held about you and to request corrections if anything is inaccurate. Complaints about data handling go to the European Data Protection Supervisor.

A refusal must come with written reasons, and applicants have the right to appeal through the national authority of the member state that conducted the review.

Does any of this apply right now?

No. ETIAS applications are not open, and no action is required or possible today. The official launch window remains 2027, though credible reporting suggests a slip into 2027 is increasingly likely. Until the official EU portal opens, no legitimate ETIAS application can be made anywhere. Any website asking for your personal information or money in connection with ETIAS right now is not operating legitimately. The ETIAS status page carries the current confirmed position and will be updated when a formal announcement is made.