Washington DC: While European countries are dropping their Covid-19 pre-arrival testing requirements, that doesn’t mean a long-term return to spontaneous travel. U.S. travelers consumed with keeping up with the ever-changing Covid-19 rules in European countries may have missed another chink of travel bureaucracy looming on the Atlantic horizon. Soon there will be an extra step to take before leaving for Europe.
Currently, a U.S. passport is enough to gain entry to European countries for periods of less than 90 days. But that’s going to change next year. Beginning in spring 2023, American citizens, as well as travelers from 58 other countries, will require a European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS) visa waiver to travel to any of the Schengen-zone countries for short stays.
Although American travelers will still not need a Schengen visa, they will be prescreened before arrival into European Union countries. No biometric data will be collected; Americans will need to provide their passport information and answer “a series of security questions in regards the traveler’s health, and whether they have been to conflict zones in the past,” as per ETIAS.com.
Travelers between the ages of 18 and 70 will need a valid passport, an email address, and a debit or credit card to pay the nonrefundable €7 (roughly $8) application fee. Children and teens under age 18 and seniors over age 70 will need to fill out an ETIAS application but will not be charged the fee.
Once the ETIAS goes live, Europe-bound airlines will be required by law to check passengers’ ETIAS authorizations before allowing them to board.
(Courtesy: Forbes)
