08/03/2023

U.S. Citizens Will Soon Have to Pay a Small Fee to Travel to Europe

Understanding why Americans will be charged an ETIAS

This year marks the last summer that U.S. passport holders can travel to European countries without a new travel document, known as the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) (ETIAS), which comes into effect in 2024.

While there is yet no fixed date for next year's implementation of the ETIAS program, the entry requirement will impact U.S. citizens—and passport holders from a total of 60 nations—wishing to travel to 30 European countries for stays of up to 90 days. These include the 27 member countries in the Schengen Area—including some of the most popular destinations like France, Germany and Italy—as well as non-Schengen E.U. members Bulgaria, Romania and Cyprus. Previously, travelers from the U.S. could enter without prior authorization, and the change in policy was made to better track those entering and leaving E.U. countries amid increasing concerns around terrorism and irregular immigration, according to the European Commission (EC).

The U.S. has held a similar mandatory travel authorization system, known as the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) since 2009. Visitors from Europe have since been required to have a valid ESTA to arrive in the U.S.

Please select this link to read the complete article from TIME.