Watch Out for This Big Change to European Travel in 2023

Image Source: Getty Images

See all this festive bureaucracy!

Key Point

• ETIAS will start in 2023. This is a visa waiver program for citizens of countries that are allowed to visit the Schengen area without a visa, similar to his ESTA in the United States and eTA in Canada.
• The ETIAS application can be completed online in about 20 minutes. There is a fee of €7 for most applicants.
• In addition to providing basic personal information, you will be required to answer questions about your medical condition, criminal record, and immigration history.

Within certain traveler circles, passports are ranked by their strength. measures? Number of countries you can visit without a visa. US passports tend to rank fairly high as they allow holders to travel to 186 destinations without a visa.

However, starting next year, at least 26 of those destinations will have extra hoops to jump (and new fees to pay). That’s when we see the launch of the European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS).

ESTA, eTA — now ETIAS

ETIAS was announced in 2016 and is finally expected to enter into force in 2023. Under the new rules, travelers from “third countries” (countries whose citizens do not require a Schengen visa) must apply for her ETIAS. before they enter the Schengen area.

But no, this is not a visa. In fact, it’s almost the other way around. Visa exemption.

If this sounds familiar, it’s because it already exists in both the US and Canada. In the United States, travelers from Visa Waiver Program countries must apply for an ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorization). Canada has the same regulations regarding eTA (Electronic Travel Authorization).

It is hoped that ETIAS will help improve border efficiency and reduce border waiting times. It also aims to enable EU immigration authorities to better identify security threats and immigration issues. Oh, and funding – didn’t we mention fees?

The ETIAS application has a fee of €7 (currently about $7.40 in US dollars). However, children under 18 and their seniors over 70 are free.)

How to apply for ETIAS

If you’re planning a trip next year, perhaps you’ve put your travel rewards card to good use and should add an ETIAS application to your list. But don’t worry. It doesn’t take long. US passport holders can apply for ETIAS onlinethe application is estimated to take about 20 minutes to complete.

The information you need to provide includes all standard identifying information such as name, address and date of birth, as well as passport information and first country of visit. You will also need to provide your email address and phone number.

In addition to the typical information, the application must answer the ETIAS “Background and Eligibility Questions”. These cover medical conditions, criminal records, previous immigration history, and more. (Of course, comparable to questions asked in similar programs such as ESTA.)

Most requests are processed within minutes. However, we recommend that you complete his ETIAS application at least 72 hours before he travels, given potential problems.

Your ETIAS application will be approved or rejected. If it is not approved, you can appeal, but if that doesn’t work, you will have to apply for a visa to enter the Schengen countries.

You only need to apply for ETIAS once per trip. After that, you can freely move around the Schengen area as usual. This means that you do not need different ETIAS for each Schengen country you plan to visit in one trip.

one more on the checklist

Turning credit card rewards into free travel is one of the best parts of the game. And Europe is a very popular destination for travel hackers of all kinds. Getting started with ETIAS is another element to add to your travel checklist, and it’s not too bad. People from many countries can still enjoy a vacation in Europe without a visa. There’s only one step left in the process.