For quite some time, we’ve known that the European Union will soon require most foreign nationals to apply for a travel authorization. The implementation of this has been delayed several times already, and we’ve just seen yet another delay — this is now expected to launch in mid-2025, rather than the previous timeline of some point in 2024. Let’s go over all the details.
In this post:
Will Americans need a visa to visit European Union?
Currently travelers from 60+ countries (including the United States) can visit the European Union without obtaining a visa or any travel authorization prior to travel. That will be changing. As of some point in mid-2025 (no exact date has been announced), up to 1.4 billion people from 60+ visa waiver countries will need to obtain a travel authorization prior to traveling to the European Union.
US citizens (among others) will be required to apply for an ETIAS (European Travel Information and Authorization System) travel authorization. This is similar to the electronic travel authorization that the United States requires for visitors from many countries.
Now, don’t get too worried. You’re not going to have to go to a consulate, or jump through any super complicated hoops. Rather here are the basics of the requirements:
- The ETIAS will cost €7 (~$8), and that can be paid via the ETIAS website or app
- The ETIAS will be valid for multiple entries over three years or until the passport expires, whichever comes first
- The ETIAS will allow you to stay in the European Union for up to 90 days in any 180 day period
- The ETIAS will typically be processed within minutes, though in some cases the application may take longer to process; when there’s a delay, it will typically be processed within four days, but sometimes it will take up to 14 days
- Once your ETIAS application is approved, you’ll receive a confirmation number that you should hold onto, but you shouldn’t have to show it at the border, since it’s electronically linked to your passport info
What’s the purpose of this new ETIAS requirement? The reason for this change is to increase security, and to be able to screen travelers long before they actually travel to the Europe Union. At the same time, I imagine there’s some desire for reciprocity here, and I also imagine the government thinks this will generate extra revenue, and doesn’t mind that. 😉
It’s worth noting that this requirement was first proposed in 2017, and was initially supposed to be implemented as of 2021. As you might expect, coronavirus delayed the timeline of that being implemented. Now we’re seeing an additional delay beyond that.
So while the current plan is to implement this at some point in 2025, I wouldn’t even count on that sticking. Honestly, it’s anyone’s guess what will happen first — will the European Union require an ETIAS, or will the United States require Real ID?
My take on the European Union’s ETIAS requirement
It goes without saying that I’m not generally a fan of anything that creates barriers or red tape to travel. At a minimum, it’s a minor inconvenience, it costs a little bit of money, and it’s just yet another thing that can go wrong during the travel process.
However, as far as any sort of barriers to travel go, this new ETIAS requirement is about as mild as it gets. It only costs $8, it’s valid for multiple entries over three years, it can be done online, and approval typically happens within minutes.
Besides, the United States requires the same thing for those visiting from the European Union, and the European Union claims it’s to screen travelers prior to arrival.
So am I a fan of this change? As a traveler, no. Do I think this will materially impact travel demand to the European Union? No.
Bottom line
Starting in mid-2025, the European Union will be introducing a new ETIAS requirement for visitors from 60+ visa waiver countries, including the United States. This means you’ll have to fill out a quick online application prior to travel, and will need to pay €7. Once approved, your ETIAS is valid for multiple entries over three years.
This is something to be aware of, but don’t worry, this isn’t some complicated visa requirement that’s costly or time consuming.
What do you make of the European Union introducing an ETIAS requirement?
Why don’t they just source this revenue as a ticket fee? It’s annoying to have to learn another process, create another login, keep track of its expiration, etc.
If people coming to the US via ESTA can figure it out, I'm sure you can as well.
@Ben Is this really an entry requirement for the EU or the Schengen Area? They are not the same.
Citizens of any country that requires a travel visa for citizens of other countries should also be subject to the same travel visa requirement from the latter. Simple reciprocity, not to mention the security aspect.
I disagree.
This is purely a cash grab by the EU and is ridiculous. If the EU hadn't been handing out their passports like candy a few year back the US wouldn't have had to do what it did. Total BS.
The EU is not handing out passports at all. Individual member countries are.
If some countries had been too liberal in providing passports, the US could have handled those differently.
Correct . I have one of those candy eu passports . Love it .
@Jerry the EU has made clear multiple times that they expect full reciprocity between how *all* member states are treated and how they will treat US nationals, so targeting restrictions would not have been helpful.
They are only doing what the US is doing, nothing more, nothing less.
Europe's problems don't arrive by airplane, they arrive by boat on the southern borders.
The US and EU should come up with a reciprocal fee free arrangement. Boarding Area's YMMV blog is very much into censorship and opposes any post that mentions this idea. I believe they think it is a personal attack on President Biden, which is the farthest from the truth. YMMV is a really strange blog, unlike OMAAT.
The use of nickel and diming is not much better. I admit that $8 is not too much but if you steal $8, you can be in trouble.
great news on the further delay.
It's great because it is further proof that Delta is a superior airline, the best on Planet Earth?
wow... you and the gutless wonder below you really should stay away from the hard stuff, even on the weekends.
Sky Miles is the new Scientology.
And Tim Dunn is the new Tom Cruise?
In Related News: Upon Landing at DFW Airport the long lines at CBP counters went By Real Quick Because of Facial Recognition. Did not even have to take out Passports or need Global Entry.
The European Union is only good for USB C laws and nothing else
Pathetic money grab from a pathetic block of countries with 1% GDP growth.
Biting the hand that feeds them (the American Tourist)
Yet Yanks have demanded an ESTA for years. And no they don’t feed us. We’re richer and more developed with culture and universal healthcare. Tens of 1000s of Americans are also moving to Europe.
You do the ESTA, then line up for two hours to be asked a whole lot of stupid questions and have your fingerprint taken, even though you're from a country which allows its citizens to waltz straight across the border using an eGate.
LOL, keep your "culture" and detah boards for when some bureaucratic panel decides You don't "need' a treatment. America is WAY richer. Facts Hurt.
It isn't richer per person. In Europe as a whole the divide between the haves and have nots isn't as wide, and in many EU countries the average standard of living is higher than the US.
Americans. Nothing is free. Everyone demands tips. Full of right wing lunatics who insist Trump is the chosen one. Mass killings by guns which are considered as less dangerous than someone who wears drag.
The only country in the developed world with no sick pay. No
Job security. No mandatory redundancy legislation. No maternity leave let alone paternity. Amongst the lowest rates of literacy and numeracy in the developed world.
A country...
Americans. Nothing is free. Everyone demands tips. Full of right wing lunatics who insist Trump is the chosen one. Mass killings by guns which are considered as less dangerous than someone who wears drag.
The only country in the developed world with no sick pay. No
Job security. No mandatory redundancy legislation. No maternity leave let alone paternity. Amongst the lowest rates of literacy and numeracy in the developed world.
A country that considers the right to spread hatred and xenophobia as free speech.
Being rich doesn’t bring class
Most Americans can’t find their own country on a map let alone any other. Yet they know everything about the Kardashians.
And good service. It’s all fake in the name of tips.
Have a nice day y’all
Well, as somebody that had to purchase an ESTA just to transit through Houston earlier this month, I don't see what is wrong with this at all.
Did you enjoy having to do that? If you found it inconvenient or annoying, then probably you should be able to see what is wrong with systems of this kind.
If you want to travel to another country, you should absolutely avoid the US. There are almost always other options. The exception being flights from Paris to Tahiti.
I wonder (maybe bet) this will help enforce a more stringent compliance with the schengen 90/18- "visa free travel" protocols? I dual live in France and the US and it's just amazing how many people think (and do) come over to just "work remote" for months at a time --- no visa, but hey -- no penalties for overstaying ---hmmm
ETIAS won't solve that at all. Entry/exit system will.
ETIAS is making the rounds on social media of course, and the reactions are predictable. Forget knowing about ESTA; I wonder how many of the people in an uproar over this even have a passport to begin with.
Once ETIAS is really an obligation (let's hope for another delay for any reason), the airlines would need to revamp their advanced passenger registration websites to allow for multiple citizenship entry, for those in such a position. It's very rare fof now, as far as I know. It will be must. Let's make my example: I am Canadian + two other EU (Schengen Area) citizenships. When I travel from Canada to Europe nowadays, it is...
Once ETIAS is really an obligation (let's hope for another delay for any reason), the airlines would need to revamp their advanced passenger registration websites to allow for multiple citizenship entry, for those in such a position. It's very rare fof now, as far as I know. It will be must. Let's make my example: I am Canadian + two other EU (Schengen Area) citizenships. When I travel from Canada to Europe nowadays, it is enough I identify myself on the airline's website as a Canadian citizen for the travel purposes. When I am checking in for the return leg, I am not asked for Canadian preclearance, obviously. However, upon introduction of ETIAS, I would also need the option to add my one of the EU passports, in order to avoid European preclearance. I could not identify myself just as an EU citizen, as this would trigger the Canadian preclearance obligation on the way back, which would be absurd and impossible.
This makes no sense. You really think you'll be the first Canadian dual citizen to travel to a country with different requirements for different kinds of passport holders?
Last post for tonight. They really haven't thought this out at all. Looking at the EITAS website it proudly declares that the application will be available in all 24 EU languages, but then what about a huge segment of travellers who actually require an EITAS and speak Arabic, Cantonese, Japanese, Malay, Korean and Ukrainian?
The ESTA site is available in 24 languages, too, it appears.
I wonder: how many languages do CBP agents speak, for the same reason you've given?
In fairness the US is made up of immigrants. Many CBP agents speak Spanish. I’ve come across those that speak Polish Russian Japanese Portuguese arabic and Urdu.
they'll get someone who can translate.
This is not a big deal. People who don't speak local languages are going to have trouble anyway.
If you don't speak English, or the language of the member state you're visiting, you'll have far bigger issues on your trip than filling out ETIAS.
Spoiler: People can speak more than one language.
Cantonese is not a language, it’s a dialect spoken from written Chinese.
@JW Linguistically, what you've written is nonsense. Script does not define language, even if it's based on ideograms. The fact that Mandarin and Cantonese both use the same set of characters to express ideas in writing is a matter of convention; they are still very much separate languages, with virtually no mutual intelligibility.
This is a pure data grab with no verifiable proof that it will bring any benefits, and you and I as travellers will pay for this "benefit". If you have a family member or spouse that is an EU citizen they also want all their personal information on the EITAS application as well, so EU citizens data is also being hoovered up too. If I was an EU citizen I'd be emailing my local MEP also this nonsense.
As there is nothing more confirmed than before, this article just took up space. Basically no need to discuss this until there is a confirmed time for when it will start.
Waiting to hear an outraged British Brexiteer loudly complaining that they have to get this authorisation too!
Always knew Brexit would end in tears!
Never one to say "I told you so!", I will suspend that just this one time.
The post talks about "European Union" but the usual questions arise and will need to be researched before travel -
Does this ETIAS requirement apply to non-EU members of Schengen e.g. Switzerland, Iceland etc?
Does it apply to non-Schengen members of the EU e.g. Ireland?
You could have clicked Ben's link and answered your question, but you seem very busy and important, so I did it for you.
Where will you need ETIAS?
Austria
Belgium
Bulgaria
Croatia
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Estonia
Finland
France
Germany
Greece
Hungary
Iceland
Italy
Latvia
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Malta
Netherlands
Norwav
Poland
Portugal
Romania
Slovakia
Slovenia
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
We Norwegians are very delighted to be the etc in "Switzerland, Iceland etc"
It's a visa. Bad news for me, as I may be denied this new visa because I was born in a "bad" country and still hold its citizenship, in addition to Canadian citizenship. The WILL ask about country of birth in the application. I have been travelling to Europe freely on my Canadian passport, it may be coming to an end.
I'm sure every 'travel authorization' or 'visa' application would ask for all your nationality.
So Canadian passports DON'T state the passport holders place of birth?!
There is country of birth in my Canadian passport. The difference is I may now be denied this new visa based on country of birth, while previously I could just travel without any prior authorization.
They're perfectly capable of refusing you entry at the border now, based on your country of birth, if they want to. If it's never been a problem for you when the immigration officer looked at your passport before, why do you anticipate that it will become an issue with this new system?
It's not a visa. Travellers will need it on top of any visa requirement (which is none for a lot of countries).
It's more of a formality at best than a visa application. At most this will be used to check if people are on a terrorism or crime watch list than denying people based on birthplace or nationality.
Do you think that for example Czech or Poland will not care if someone was born in Russia and is Russian / US dual citizen and will just approve an application automatically? I don't think so. They will want to have a closer look at such an applicant. There is war at their border.
if you are a citizen of one of those places then you'd just use that passport. unless you're on the run this should not be a problem.
@Zach B
formality?
terrorism or crime watch list?
That's what Bush said about PATRIOT act after 9/11.
Snowden proves otherwise.
It's a visa application under a different name and maybe a wider criteria.
They can deny you for any reason without giving you a reason. And they wont even refund you.
I have a trip planned in early 2024 so I'm hoping these bureaucrats get their act together sometime soon. Are they competent to do this? Probably not.
It’s not a visa
You're right, and anyone arguing with you here is probably white and clueless.
Poor implementations of this are the bane of travel. Have you tried the K-ETA program? The self photo is like 100x100px but can't be larger than 72kb, which means you need to be a pixelmaster in order to fit in the requirements. I missed a flight to South Korea in September 2022 because I was unaware of the requirement until check-in and it took me about 45 minutes to make the re-sizing on my phone happen.
The whole photo requirement part of any of these "travel authorization" is useless as your documents would still be scanned and you are photographed upon entry anyway.
You expect someone trying to visit stupid enough to upload a picture of Elvis and use a fake passport?
Will this wake America up that you can't just bully other countries into your policies without consequences.
And would Americans realize you are the real victim of your governments' bullying other countries.
Probably no to both, especially if you think Travel Authorization is not a form a Visa.
It's a bit naive to think that any of these e-Visa programs are anything other than a grift. Calling them "policies" just gives them an air of respectability they don't deserve.
Your passport, not your citizenship, triggers your participation in this scheme. Some have dual, tripple or quadruple citizenships but don't have the matching passports, choosing, for simplicity sakes, to maintain only one passport. If you have a valid EU passport you are exempt from this new travel requirement. The US places no restrictions on multiple citizenships and their matching passports.
If you have a passport you are a citizen of said country. If you have 2 you are a dual citizen. You can be a citizen of a country and not have its passport but not the other way around.
For this reason most countries did not allow dual citizenship historically but now most, but not all do.
It's not aimed at Americans. Many countries who let Europeans in freely are also subject to this new regulation so its not related to US regulations for Europeans.
I have three, Australia, UK and Ireland. All three passports state the same city or country of birth. None of that affects the fact that I am a citizen of them all, allowed to live, work and stay forever and am entitled to Government services in all of them. Even if those passports expire, I would remain a citizen in all of those countries.
It's just another enhancement like resort fees. The US should negotiate with the EU to have a free ETIAS in exchange for free ETSA for EU VWP countries.
And we would stop waking backwards and start to move forward to where we used to be, a visa waiver.
Australia has had visa for a long time - at least 37 years since I have been traveling to Australia. Used to be you had to apply at the Australia Embassy or consulate. Of course it is now electronic and typically responds in a minute and costs $20AUD. Only lasts a year.
Brazil too - and you used to have to leave your Passport at the Brailizian embassy for a couple of days.
If this allows electronic entrance to all European countries - this is a big plus. ie not getting passports stamped by an agent.
Yeah, if this provides access to e-gates, then it's a great convenience and I will gladly pay $8 and do a tiny bit of work ahead of time.
The current Australia visitor's visa fee is AUD 145, roughly USD 100. You do it online but it is an invasive and extensive form, requiring a lot of personal info, records and copies of documents to establish your identity and intentions for visiting Australia. It us a real visa application whereas this EU requirement looks more like just providing your info ahead of time to expedite processing at customs.
Brazil eliminated visitor visa requirements for US, Canadian, Australian and Japanese citizens in 2018 but the newly elected government reinstated it this year. You apply online but have to mail or drop your passport at the Brazilian consulate with jurisdiction over your geographical area for processing. Processing times up to 14 days not counting mail time. No electronic visas, a paper visa is glued to your passport.
FYI, Japanese still can enjoy visa-free travel to Brazil as Japan also granted visa-free entry for Brazilian short-term visitors from this October.
Reciprocity here.
@Regis
"EU requirement looks more like just providing your info ahead of time to expedite processing at customs."
What info do they need that they can't get from swiping your passport?
It's not like up until now I've been asked a unique question from EU border agents.
@Eskimo
According to the Dutch government, one of the questions that will be asked is the names of your parents
Where are you getting this from? Australia's eVisitor 651 visa costs nothing!
Australia's eVisitor (651) visa is free.
Just paid 50 pp for an evisa for Turkiye. No big deal. Took 5 min.
Will Americans with two valid U.S. passports have to apply separately for each one?
Why would you have two valid passports for the same nationality? You can’t
Yes, you can definitely have 2 US passports. There are a number of valid (legal) reasons you are allowed to.
Money grab from increasingly poor nations dependent on American tourism dollars.
We should deduct this from their military aid.
I assume you are not familiar with the term "ESTA"?
As a citizen and resident of apparently an 'increasingly poor nation' (with still a higher GDP per capita than the US), I don't think the €7 per visa will do much for our multi billion euro budget. And curious about when we'll get this invisible / non-existent military aid you're talking about.
Dependent on American tourism dollars?
Which countries are you referring to specifically?
Quite the imagination you have.
Poor nations like Switzerland and Luxembourg lol
Will this have any impact on ability to use e-gates?
Not directly, no.
Speaking about extra revenue - the US has just raised the cost of an ESTA application to 21 USD - and that's for two years only. So compared globally, ETIAS is on the cheap side.
Can't wait for all the clickbait Tiktok/Reels and articles this time next year about Americans being denied entry to Europe because they didn't know they needed to apply for a "visa" ahead of time.
All courtesy of your government's ESTA reciprocity.
Any kind of ETA is not a good news for dual citizens.
I'm a dual citizen myself, and I've seen a lot of Korean Americans denied from boarding since South Korea introduced K-ETA.
It's because of the discrepancy of name of birth between the two passports. A lot of Korean-American dual citizens have different names(imagine "Steven Yeun" and "Sang-yeop Yeun") or birthday on their passports.
When registering a child's birth, South Korean...
Any kind of ETA is not a good news for dual citizens.
I'm a dual citizen myself, and I've seen a lot of Korean Americans denied from boarding since South Korea introduced K-ETA.
It's because of the discrepancy of name of birth between the two passports. A lot of Korean-American dual citizens have different names(imagine "Steven Yeun" and "Sang-yeop Yeun") or birthday on their passports.
When registering a child's birth, South Korean goverment calculates the time difference. Suppoese you were born at 2pm on 07/26 PST, then it's 6am on 7/27 in Korean time. Your US passport would say you were born in 7/26, and Korean passport would say 7/27.
In this case, a lot of check-in agents from US airlines disregard the Korean passport. They don't see the two identities as the same guy.
Since you don't have K-ETA with your US passport, they don't see you're qualified to travel to Korea, and they deny you from boarding.
The same thing can happen to a lot of EU-US dual citizens.
I doubt there are many dual EU/US citizens that have different names in different passports. I also do not udnerstand why Korean citizens do it as well. If your legal name is "Sang-yeop" it should be that way everywhere, and if you want your freinds / family to call you Steven, they still can.
I noticed this practice among Asian nations, to use "western" names when abroad, but I can not understnad the reason....
I doubt there are many dual EU/US citizens that have different names in different passports. I also do not udnerstand why Korean citizens do it as well. If your legal name is "Sang-yeop" it should be that way everywhere, and if you want your freinds / family to call you Steven, they still can.
I noticed this practice among Asian nations, to use "western" names when abroad, but I can not understnad the reason. People will not be less Chinese or less Korean if they introduce themselves differently.
Not true. There is discrimination when your name on an application is Hwang Jung Sook versus Robert Hwang
When you don't realize you have white privilege.
LOL, white privilege at it's finest.
That being said, Koreans are also a bit extreme with birthdays. How shocking would it be if all Korean passport defaults their birthday to Jan 1st.
Yea it might be me not understanding that I have a privilege, but not in a way you think. Living in Europe, where discrimination is exception, and not in US where its a rule, might have clouded my judgement.
So, true, in US probably its better for people to change their name, thankfully in EU they dont need to worry.
Having different first names may be uncommon for EU/US dual citizens, but some people can have different last names.
Suppose your dad's American, and mom's French. Your US passport can have your dad's surname, and French passport can have your mom's surname. Oh, and your US legal name is Alan, and French legal name is Alain.
Names can also change by marriage. Not all countries grant same-sex marriage. A dual citizen woman who took...
Having different first names may be uncommon for EU/US dual citizens, but some people can have different last names.
Suppose your dad's American, and mom's French. Your US passport can have your dad's surname, and French passport can have your mom's surname. Oh, and your US legal name is Alan, and French legal name is Alain.
Names can also change by marriage. Not all countries grant same-sex marriage. A dual citizen woman who took her partner's last name on US passport may have her maiden name on her EU passport.
The ETIAS is simply a European version of the ESTA, for which we Europeans have had to apply to visit the USA for quite some time now. Touché :)
In doing some research on this the other day, I read that the delays were due to various EU border points not being up to date and consistent throughout. If that's the reason, I could see this being delayed for years.
At a certain point, it'd be nice if all these "streamlined visa in all but name" programs (US, Canada, EU, Australia, and soon the UK) could, at least from the traveler's vantage, cooperate so that it wouldn't be an administrative hassle to remember which need to be done when for how much time etc.
Why would they need to cooperate when they are separate countries with different visa policies?
They're all closely allied countries that collaborate on security and generally share information. Administratively, it does feel rather repetitive to have to keep all of them straight.
So ETIAS is not only cheaper than ESTA ($21), but it's valid for 3 years instead of 2. Not bad when they two systems are compared.
How about for Americans who have dual American and EU citizenship ? I would assume they don’t need to apply for this ?
@ Greta -- It's all based on the passport you're entering with, so if you have EU citizenship then you don't have to partake in this scheme.
I thought dual nationals had to use their U.S. passport when leaving and entering the U.S.
They do, but you then use your EU passport to enter and leave the EU.
You are right ..... and the dual nationals can also use their EU passport to enter and later leave EU borders.
Airlines might not allow you to enter 2 passports so will delay you when one leg of the trip doesn't have the proper electronic authorization.
Just when entering the US
No, they don’t. I have US and EU passports and always show my EU one when checking in in the US. All the agent asks is if I live in the US or not. When leaving EU, I check in using my US passport but leave EU (going through immigration) with the EU one. Have done this for over 10 years and never had an issue.
Same, I technically have to use my Australian passport to enter/leave Australia, but I use my UK to enter UK/HK/US/Canada (because citizenship/eChannel/ESTA/ETA are linked to that passport), Irish to enter EU countries. UK passport also means no visa for Vietnam, unlike the other two. So it's easy, just a minor pain having to keep track of multiple when you're travelling.
Officially. No one checks. You can just carry both. There’s no exit control. When you return you do so on a US passport
Dual national with US citizenship must present their US passport upon entering the US and claim US citizenship while in the US. When outside the US you can use whichever passport you want.