EU to create Visa-Waiver for travellers from outside the union

UK travellers to the European Union, and others from outside the union, will need a €7 electronic visa waiver by the end of next year, TTG reported on Wednesday.

Rules to facilitate the Esta-style system across EU countries have now come into force, meaning the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (Etias) will launch “by the end of 2022,” according to the report.

There are currently 62 countries that are not in the EU but from which travellers may arrive in the union visa-free.

Etias will be compulsory for all 18-70-year-olds and must be applied for before travel takes place or at kiosks at land borders.

The EU said: “Visa-exempt non-EU nationals will only need a few minutes to fill in an online application which in a vast majority of cases (expected to be over 95 per cent) will result in automatic approval, a report from Schengeninfo confirmed.

“The process will be simple, fast and affordable: the Etias authorisation will cost €7, which will be a one-off fee and will be valid for three years and for multiple entries.”

The system will cross-check travellers against EU information systems for internal security, borders and migration before their trip, identifying those “who may pose a risk to security or health, as well as compliance with migration rules.”

“The ETIAS, besides being used for business and tourist purposes, will also allow people to visit the Schengen countries for medical and transit reasons. In addition, it will be mandatory for all countries that are Schengen visa-free.

The main reason for the approval of the ETIAS authorization is security. With the increased risk of travellers worldwide, the EU wants to ensure safe travels in its countries. The ETIAS will decrease security concerns substantially through its information and data gathering systems. What this means, is that the ETIAS will detect if a person is a threat in any way to the security of Schengen countries. This will lead to the person being denied entry and avoiding the threat of being present inside EU borders. It will basically deal with a problem before it is even there,” schengeninfo reported.

However, besides making travelling more secure, the ETIAS authorization will also assist the EU countries and all travellers in the following ways:

• Reduce procedures and application times;
• Improve the management of EU country borders;
• Assist in detecting and decreasing crime and terrorism;
• Impede irregular migration;Reinforce the visa liberalization policy of the EU.