Visa At The Ready : EU Announce New Visa Requirement

From the end of 2022, all Europe-bound non-EU travellers must either hold a visa or an ETIAS visa waiver to gain entry to any Schengen member country

From the end of 2022, all Europe-bound non-EU travellers must either hold a visa or an ETIAS visa waiver to gain entry to any Schengen member country.

Currently, visa-free travel to Europe is available to citizens of more than 60 countries, including the United States, Canada and Japan. With EU border officials carrying out checks on visitors as they arrive at the border , in order to assess whether people travelling to Europe without a visa pose a potential security or public health risk.

However, with the introduction of the ETIAS visa waiver at the end of 2022, the 1.4 billion travellers who currently travel into Europe visa-free, will need to apply for ETIAS . A new travel authorisation required to enter the Schengen Area from outside the EU.

Due to Brexit, UK tourists will have to apply for an ETIAS visa waiver come the end of 2022.

This ETIAS visa waver will allow border checks to be completed prior to the traveller’s departure, a move which is expected to improve EU security and make border crossing a smoother process.

In order to apply for an ETIAS, travellers will be required to fill out an online form. This form will require travellers to provide personal data, passport details and security information.

The ETIAS system will then automatically check the applicant’s data against information stored in databases. Helping European authorities identify applicants who pose a health or security risk prior to their arrival at the border.

The European Union expects that around 97% of applications will be approved automatically within 96 hours.

Once an applicants ETIAS application has been approved, it will be valid for 3 consecutive years or until the traveller’s passport expires. The holder of this visa-waver will hold the right to travel to and within the Schengen Zone for up to 90 days within a 180 day period.

Speaking at a conference, Frontex Executive Director Fabrice Leggeri explained that “ETIAS is an important part of the digitalisation process of our border management, helping to ensure the resumption of international mobility in the post-COVID world with higher security and safety standards.”

For more information on these ETIAS Visa Waivers, please visit www.etias.info

 

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