This is not good news

I've got a fraud conviction from 2015 (suspended sentence now spent) but I would have to disclose till 2030?

Guess we won't know till closer to the time if there will be a visa interview process and how strict they are likely to be

Never been a fan of brexit and this just compounds it

There is an interview process, but it would only be for borderline cases. The process will be automated as much as possible. First the person will be screened against various databases e.g.Interpol,  to see if they are a security risk. If there is no match, then their visa should go straight through. But if they do match, then further checks would be required. That would include contacting UK police for more details and then lastly an interview, if the police information was insufficient for them to make a decision.

Reassuring to hear

From what I’ve read the etias system will be linked to the ecris database which is linked to any uk convictions meaning they are going to have access to a lot more information than a country like the us would when granting a esta. It seems to me like it’s going to make travel to Europe very difficult for lots of people with a criminal record.

ETIAS may well be linked to ECRIS, but ECRIS isn't linked to the PNC in the UK, so there will be no automatic access to criminal record information. According to this article, information can be shared on request, but will take up to 20 working days. I can't see them routinely making people wait 4 weeks for their ETIAS approval. Unless you are someone on an international watch list or the subject of an Interpol notice, they will have to accept what you tell them and rely on that.

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If you are to punish a man retributively you must injure him. If you are to reform him you must improve him. And men are not improved by injuries. (George Bernard Shaw)

Yes, and the beauty of the ETIAS system, is that you should know within 10 mins, if there is a problem with your application. That's how long it will take it, to scan the relevant databases, like interpol and ecris. If it comes back with no hits, then your application will be be approved.

If it does come back with a hit, then you know you are on one of the databases, but there is no need to spend all that money booking a flight to Europe and risk being turned back at the airport. You can find out for just 7 euros, if there is going to be a problem, and you can do it without leaving your home.

does anyone actually know what the questions will be on the form?
I have a fraud conviction which will be spent in January 2023 (I was fined).
I am assuming the UK spent convictions regs will not apply?

According to the rules document, the question will effectively be "Have you been convicted of an offence in Annex 10 in the last fifteen years?", or words to that effect. It will also refer to terrorist offences, with a longer time period, but I can't remember the exact period, as they changed the rules just before they were passed. It won't matter whether it is spent, and it does mean that at some point, someone with an unspent conviction won't have to disclose it.

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If you are to punish a man retributively you must injure him. If you are to reform him you must improve him. And men are not improved by injuries. (George Bernard Shaw)

do you have a link to annex 10?

You can find the whole ETIAS document here. My mistake about Annex 10, as it's actually "the Annex in the last 10 years", but I've since read that it was changed to the last 15 years. The Annex is right at the end of the document.

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If you are to punish a man retributively you must injure him. If you are to reform him you must improve him. And men are not improved by injuries. (George Bernard Shaw)