Refusal and appeal

What to do if your ETIAS is refused

An ETIAS refusal is a formal decision taken by the ETIAS national unit of one of the countries concerned. You receive it by email with the reasons and the authority that decided. You have the right to appeal, in that country and under its national law.

Check my passport →Official EU ETIAS website ↗

Based on official EU sourcesLast fact-checked 9 November 2026Last updated 9 November 2026

How a refusal happens

Your application is first checked automatically against European databases (Schengen Information System, Europol data, Interpol data on stolen travel documents, and others) and against risk indicators. If there is no match, the authorisation is issued in minutes.

If there is a match, the file goes to the ETIAS Central Unit at Frontex, then, if the match is confirmed or doubtful, to the national unit of the country responsible, usually the country of your first intended stay. Only a person, at that national unit, can refuse an authorisation. The system never refuses by itself.

The main grounds for refusal

The regulation lists them. In short, an authorisation is refused if:

• your travel document is reported lost, stolen, misappropriated or invalid;
• you pose a security risk, an illegal immigration risk or a high epidemic risk;
• you are the subject of an alert in the Schengen Information System for refusal of entry;
• you do not reply to a request for additional information within the deadline, or do not attend an interview you were invited to.

Past immigration history, such as an overstay recorded at the border, can be taken into account when the illegal immigration risk is assessed.

A previous conviction does not lead to an automatic refusal. The national unit assesses the file. It can also issue an authorisation with limited territorial validity, valid only for the country that issued it, for humanitarian reasons or international obligations.

What the refusal email contains

According to the regulation, it states:

• that the authorisation is refused, with the application number;
• the national unit that refused it, with its address;
• the grounds for the refusal;
• information on the appeal procedure, the competent authority and the deadline;
• how to contact the data protection authorities.

How to appeal

The appeal is filed in the country whose national unit refused the authorisation, according to that country’s national law. Deadlines, format and language therefore vary from one country to another; the refusal email must tell you which ones apply.

Practical points:

• Read the grounds carefully. If the refusal comes from an error (wrong passport number, wrong answer to a question), correcting it in a new application may be faster than an appeal.
• Gather documents that answer the stated ground directly.
• An appeal is a legal procedure. For a refusal linked to a criminal record or a past immigration issue, advice from a lawyer in the country concerned is worth considering.

The fee and the alternatives

The fee of €20 pays for the processing of the application and should not be expected back. If ETIAS is refused, you can still apply for a Schengen visa at a consulate: it is a separate procedure, with its own assessment.

A word on revocation

An authorisation can also be revoked or annulled later, if the conditions for issuing it were not met or are no longer met. The same appeal rights apply, except when you asked for the revocation yourself.

Related: special cases (criminal record, dual nationality, children).