Travel in 2022 looks bright

Image credits: Council of the European Union With the political agreement struck last week Friday between its 3 main institutions (European Comission, European Parliament and council of the EU), the EU is now coming closer to having a digital travel authorisation system like ESTA or eTA used in the USA and Canada respectively.

The EU’s ETIAS (European Travel Information and Authorisation System) is set to be operational by the end of 2020 and will allow non-EU citizens from countries like the UK, USA, Brazil, Australia, who are exempt from visa requirements, to travel within the Schengen area (currently 26 EU countries).

What does this mean?

The ETIAS will NOT mean new visa requirements for nationals from countries that are exempt visa exempt.

BUT visa exempt nationals will need to fill out the electronic form and obtain authorisation prior to travelling.

Fees and validity

A one off fee of €7 and valid for 3 years (multiple entries).

Check out the ETIAS website for the 60 visa exempt countries

https://www.etiasvisa.com/etias-questions/which-are-the-etias-countries

This is welcomed news especially given the current travel restrictions we are facing due to the pandemic. We have something to look forward to in 2022

MOCN Consulting remains at your disposal to answer any queries you have and we’ll definitely keep you posted with any future developments.

If you have any questions about immigration, our immigration specialist is on hand to guide you.