Tonga

Through its implementation, ETIAS System’s primary goals are to provide travelers from Tonga, and from other 59 Visa Waiver Countries, with faster and more efficient border control service upon arrival at the EU while also implementing a safer security net to protect and overlook upon EU’s external frontiers. At the same time ETIAS System has also been announced will be likely to produce the effect of reducing the cases of border rejections.
With the aim of creating an overall more secure travel environment while at the same time without the intention of creating any hindrance to Tonga passport holders, ETIAS application procedure has been drafted so as to be intuitive and easy to approach. As a matter of fact, it should require each applicant no more than 10 minutes of time. For more information on the advantages of ETIAS to visitors and residents click here.

In order to put their application for ETIAS forward all petitioners from Tonga, elders and minors included, are required to fill out a short form where they are to declare their personal information and contact details, travel to EU schedule and a standard series of background check and general eligibility questions.
After inputting all the data, it is always important to double check everything before paying the ETIAS taxes and officially submitting the request, since it will not be possible to change such data anytime later and since even a small mistake can lead to a rejection of the Visa Waiver.
Once the application feedback is available, in most cases within 72 hours and with a positive response, ETIAS Visa Waiver will be sent to the personal e-mail of each applicant. It is therefore very important to input a working and valid e-mail address when asked to in the contact details part of the form.
Those who do not have an e-mail address of their own, are recommended to ask the support of a close relative of friend to help them with the application. To this extent minors are expected to only forward their ETIAS candidacy through the aid of a parent or legal guardian.

Once approved ETIAS Visa Waiver is valid for 3 years from its date of issue and permits multiple entries in the 34 ETIAS Member Countries provided that each journey taken complies with the general terms of use of ETIAS Visa Waiver as summarized above.
Tongan visitors that already have a valid Schengen Visa on their passport or that hold a Permit of Stay issued by a Schengen Member Country or de facto Member are not required to apply for ETIAS to enter any of the 34 Member Countries.
To this extent it must be highlighted that until their respective membership in the Schengen Area is perfected a national Visa or Permit of Stay issued by Romania, Bulgaria or Cyprus will not be considered a valid exemption criterion from the obligation to hold an ETIAS or Schengen Visa, while ETIAS will in any case be required to Visa Waiver visitors entering such States.

Any person of Tonga willing to live, work or study in any of ETIAS Area Nations will not be considered eligible for the Visa Waiver and will therefore be required to apply for Consular Schengen Visa.
It must though be highlighted that even if the Visa Waiver is not fit for long term study programs, it can actually be used for short training programs provided that the stay in the ETIAS countries area will not surpass the threshold of ninety days within 6 months.
Besides the already mentioned ETIAS terms of use concerning the purpose and duration of stay aspect, another limitation is to be considered. ETIAS for citizens of Tonga is indeed required only for journeys to the 34 European Countries that are part current, future or de facto members of the Schengen Area. Republic of Ireland (EIRE) is EU Member but does not participate in the Schengen Convention and therefore applies differing immigration measures.