On 5 November 2025 Austria’s federal government transmitted the long-awaited “Second EU-Information-Systems Adaptation Act” to the National Council’s Internal Affairs Committee. The 200-page package transposes key parts of the EU interoperability regulations and, most importantly for business travellers, sets up Austria’s national platform for the new European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS).
ETIAS, which the European Commission plans to activate in 2026, will require the roughly 1.4 billion nationals of visa-exempt countries to obtain an electronic travel permit before boarding transport to the Schengen area. Austria’s bill designates the Interior Ministry as the “National ETIAS Unit”, mandates round-the-clock automated checks of applications against SIS, VIS, Europol, Interpol and health databases, and lays down appeals procedures via the Federal Administrative Court.
![Austria tables sweeping ETIAS implementation bill to tighten pre-travel screening]()
Beyond ETIAS, the draft law amends eight existing statutes—from the Aliens Police Act to the Passenger Name Record Act—to enable real-time data sharing through the EU “interoperability backbone”: the European Search Portal, shared biometric matching service, Common Identity Repository and Multiple-Identity Detector. These changes are meant to close information gaps that, according to the explanatory notes, “pose risks for internal security, illegal immigration and public health”.
For companies relocating talent to Austria, the bill clarifies that seasonal workers from visa-exempt countries will no longer need a Schengen visa once ETIAS goes live, provided their stay does not exceed 90 days. Travel managers should nonetheless budget extra lead time for the €7 ETIAS application and possible manual risk assessment for young assignees with limited travel histories.
Political observers expect the governing ÖVP-SPÖ coalition to fast-track the measure so that Austria’s IT systems are ready for the EU-level technical go-live. Multinationals are advised to update pre-trip compliance checklists and brief visa-free employees—particularly U.S., U.K., Canadian and Australian nationals—about the new requirement. Failure to obtain an ETIAS authorisation will result in airline boarding denials or fines at the border once the system is operational.
ETIAS, which the European Commission plans to activate in 2026, will require the roughly 1.4 billion nationals of visa-exempt countries to obtain an electronic travel permit before boarding transport to the Schengen area. Austria’s bill designates the Interior Ministry as the “National ETIAS Unit”, mandates round-the-clock automated checks of applications against SIS, VIS, Europol, Interpol and health databases, and lays down appeals procedures via the Federal Administrative Court.
Beyond ETIAS, the draft law amends eight existing statutes—from the Aliens Police Act to the Passenger Name Record Act—to enable real-time data sharing through the EU “interoperability backbone”: the European Search Portal, shared biometric matching service, Common Identity Repository and Multiple-Identity Detector. These changes are meant to close information gaps that, according to the explanatory notes, “pose risks for internal security, illegal immigration and public health”.
For companies relocating talent to Austria, the bill clarifies that seasonal workers from visa-exempt countries will no longer need a Schengen visa once ETIAS goes live, provided their stay does not exceed 90 days. Travel managers should nonetheless budget extra lead time for the €7 ETIAS application and possible manual risk assessment for young assignees with limited travel histories.
Political observers expect the governing ÖVP-SPÖ coalition to fast-track the measure so that Austria’s IT systems are ready for the EU-level technical go-live. Multinationals are advised to update pre-trip compliance checklists and brief visa-free employees—particularly U.S., U.K., Canadian and Australian nationals—about the new requirement. Failure to obtain an ETIAS authorisation will result in airline boarding denials or fines at the border once the system is operational.
