Europe Just Pushed Back Its ETIAS Plan To Charge Visitors & Here's When You'll Have To Pay
Good news if you're visiting the European Union this year: the EU has officially pushed back plans to roll out its visa waiver program, meaning you won't have to fill out extra forms or pay a fee quite yet.
The program, called the European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS), will eventually require travellers to complete an online form and pay €7 before visiting any country in the EU.
Officials originally announced the program last year with plans to implement it in May 2023. They later pushed the start date back to November 2023, but that changed again on Friday.
The EU's official website for travel requirements now says the ETIAS will come into effect sometime in 2024, although no date has been set.
That means you can plan your summer vacation or your end-of-year holiday in the EU without worrying about the extra fees or paperwork that will come with the ETIAS.
What is the ETIAS?
The European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS) is an upcoming visa waiver that many travellers, including Americans, Brits and Canadians, will need to fill out before visiting countries in the European Union.
It's essentially an online form that will take you a few minutes to complete, and it'll cost you €7 per person in your party.
The ETIAS applies to anyone who doesn't currently need a visa to enter the EU. Residents and citizens of EU countries do not need to fill the form out.
The form applies to visitors between the ages of 18 and 70 years old, and takes about 10 minutes to fill out. All you need is a passport to complete the form.
Approval is not guaranteed, so when the ETIAS comes out you'll want to fill it out a few days before you're actually scheduled to travel.
How long is an ETIAS visa good for?
Once you fill out the ETIAS form and get it approved, you don't need to do it again for every trip.
The travel authorization is good for three years or until your passport expires — "whichever comes first," according to the EU.
Which countries need an ETIAS visa?
The ETIAS visa waiver will apply to citizens of the following countries:
- Albania
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Argentina
- Australia
- Bahamas
- Barbados
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Brazil
- Brunei
- Canada
- Chile
- Colombia
- Costa Rica
- Dominica
- El Salvador
- Georgia
- Grenada
- Guatemala
- Honduras
- Hong Kong
- Israel
- Japan
- Kiribati
- Macao
- Malaysia
- Marshall Islands
- Mauritius
- Mexico
- Micronesia
- Moldova
- Montenegro
- New Zealand
- Nicaragua
- North Macedonia
- Palau
- Panama
- Paraguay
- Peru
- Saint Kitts and Nevis
- Saint Lucia
- Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
- Samoa
- Serbia
- Seychelles
- Singapore
- Solomon Islands
- South Korea
- Taiwan
- Timor Leste
- Tonga
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Tuvalu
- Ukraine
- United Arab Emirates
- United Kingdom
- United States of America
- Uruguay
- Vanuatu
- Venezuela
When does ETIAS start?
The EU is expected to implement its ETIAS system sometime in 2024.
This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.
