CHAPTER IITHE EU EMERGENCY TRAVEL DOCUMENT
Article 3The EU Emergency Travel Document
1.
The EU Emergency Travel Document (‘EU ETD’) is a travel document that shall be issued by a Member State to an unrepresented citizen in a third country for a single journey to the citizen's Member State of nationality or residence, as requested by the citizen, or exceptionally, to another destination. Member States may also decide to issue EU ETDs to other recipients in accordance with Article 7.
2.
Member States shall issue EU ETDs to unrepresented citizens in third countries whose passports or travel documents have been lost, stolen or destroyed, or can otherwise not be obtained within a reasonable time, in accordance with the procedure set out in Article 4.
Article 4Procedure
1.
Where a Member State receives an application for an EU ETD, it shall, as soon as possible, and no later than two working days after receipt of the application, consult the Member State of nationality in accordance with Article 10(2) of Directive (EU) 2015/637 for the purpose of verifying the nationality and identity of the applicant.
2.
The assisting Member State shall provide the Member State of nationality with all relevant information, including:
(a)
the applicant's surname and given name(s), nationality, date of birth and sex;
(b)
a facial image of the applicant taken by the authorities of the assisting Member State at the time of application or, only where this is not feasible, a scanned or digital photograph of the applicant, based on the standards established by part 3 of International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Document 9303 on Machine Readable Travel Documents (Seventh Edition, 2015) (‘ICAO Document 9303’);
(c)
a copy or scan of any available means of identification, such as an identity card or driving license, and, where available, the type and number of the document replaced and the national registration or social security number.
3.
As soon as possible, and no later than three working days after receipt of the information referred to in paragraph 2, the Member State of nationality shall respond to the consultation in accordance with Article 10(3) of Directive (EU) 2015/637 and shall confirm whether the applicant is its national. If the Member State of nationality is unable to respond within three working days, it shall, within that period, inform the assisting Member State and shall provide an estimate of when the response is to be expected. The assisting Member State shall inform the applicant accordingly. Upon confirmation of the applicant's nationality, the assisting Member State shall provide the applicant with the EU ETD as soon as possible and no later than two working days after receipt of the confirmation.
4.
If the Member State of nationality objects to an EU ETD being issued to one of its nationals, it shall inform the assisting Member State. In that case, the EU ETD shall not be issued and the Member State of nationality shall assume responsibility for providing consular protection to its citizen in accordance with its legal obligations and practice. The assisting Member State, in close consultation with the Member State of nationality, shall inform the applicant accordingly.
5.
In justified cases, the Member States may take longer than the time limits laid down in paragraphs 1 and 3.
6.
In cases of extreme urgency, the assisting Member State may issue an EU ETD without prior consultation of the Member State of nationality. Before doing so, the assisting Member State shall have exhausted the available means of communication with the Member State of nationality. The assisting Member State shall notify the Member State of nationality, as soon as possible, of the fact that an EU ETD has been issued and of the identity of the person to whom the EU ETD was issued. That notification shall include all data which were included on the EU ETD.
7.
The authority of the Member State issuing the EU ETD shall store a copy or scan of each EU ETD issued and shall send another copy or scan to the applicant's Member State of nationality.
8.
The recipient of an EU ETD shall be asked to return the EU ETD, regardless of whether it has expired, upon arrival at the final destination.
9.
The Commission may adopt implementing acts establishing a standard EU ETD application form which shall contain information on the obligation to return the EU ETD upon arrival. Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 12(2).
Article 5Financial provisions
1.
The assisting Member State shall charge the applicant such fees as it charges its own nationals for the issuance of national emergency documents.
2.
The assisting Member State may waive the charging of fees generally or in specific situations determined by it.
3.
Where applicants are unable to pay any applicable fees to the assisting Member State when submitting their application, they shall undertake to repay their Member State of nationality such fees using the standard form set out in Annex I of Directive (EU) 2015/637. In such cases, Article 14(2) and Article 15 of Directive (EU) 2015/637 shall apply.
Article 6Validity
An EU ETD shall be valid for the period required for completion of the journey for which it is issued. In calculating that period, allowance shall be made for necessary overnight stops and for making travel connections. The period of validity shall include an additional ‘period of grace’ of two days. Save in exceptional circumstances, the validity of an EU ETD shall not exceed 15 calendar days.
Article 7Optional issuance of EU ETDs
1.
Where the applicant's passport or travel document has been lost, stolen or destroyed or can otherwise not be obtained within a reasonable time, a Member State may issue EU ETDs:
(a)
to its own nationals;
(b)
to Union citizens who are not represented within the territory of the Member States, including the overseas countries and territories referred to in the first subparagraph of Article 355(2) TFEU;
(c)
to citizens of another Member State which is represented in the country where they seek to obtain the EU ETD and where arrangements between the relevant Member States exist to that effect;
(d)
to family members, who are not Union citizens, accompanying Union citizens who are not represented in a third country or Union citizens referred to in points (a), (b) or (c), where those family members are legal residents in a Member State, without prejudice to any applicable visa requirements;
(e)
to other persons to whom that Member State or another Member State is obliged under international or national law to provide protection and who are legal residents in a Member State.
2.
Where a Member State issues EU ETDs in accordance with:
(a)
point (b) or (c) of paragraph 1 of this Article, the consultation set out in Article 4 shall involve the Member State of nationality of Union citizens;
(b)
point (d) of paragraph 1 of this Article, the consultation set out in Article 4 shall involve the Member State of nationality of the accompanied Union citizen and, where necessary, the Member State of residence of the family member. By derogation from Article 4(6), no EU ETD shall be issued without prior consultation of the Member State of nationality of the accompanied Union citizen and, where necessary, the Member State of residence of the family member;
(c)
point (e) of paragraph 1 of this Article, the consultation set out in Article 4 shall involve the Member State obliged under international or national law to provide protection to the applicant, which shall be the destination country indicated on the EU ETD.