Next year, Americans will be required to obtain travel authorization to enter 30 countries, ending visa-free travel in Europe for U.S. citizens.
The European Union announced this week a new security programme that would mandate U.S. passport holders to obtain visas before traveling to any of the visa-required countries, including Spain, France and Greece.
Before Americans secure their flights to Europe, they are being advised to visit the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS).
The new rules will be enforced starting in January 2024.
European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) is a planned electronic authorisation system of the European Union for visa-exempt visitors travelling to the European Union or the Schengen Area (including EFTA countries), with the exception of the Republic of Ireland, which is a member of the Common Travel Area.
A 6-month grace period is expected to allow eligible travellers and staff to become familiar with the new system, and to catch possible technical problems.
The idea of the an electronic travel authorisation system was first proposed by the European Commission in 2016.
ETIAS was formally established by Regulation (EU) 2018/1240 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 September 2018.
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You're only now figuring this out? By the way, it also applies to about 170 other countries, which account for about 150x the population of Britain. And when Britain finally invents their me too version, it will apply to an even larger number of foreigners. Still, it seems like they're going to a lot of trouble just to spite innocent Brits. Good job we left that mess.