ETIAS to soon become compulsory for Europe travel, here’s how it will impact you

Source: The post is based on the article “ETIAS to soon become compulsory for Europe travel, here’s how it will impact you” published in Livemint on 6th March 2023.

What is the News?

From 2024, travellers from over 60 countries that are currently allowed to visit the Schengen Area without a visa will need to apply for an ETIAS travel authorization.

What is ETIAS?

ETIAS stands for European Travel Information and Authorisation System(ETIAS).

ETIAS is not a visa. It is an online system that will screen travellers from visa-exempt countries before their arrival in the Schengen Area, with the aim of improving border security and reducing illegal migration.

Who is eligible to apply for ETIAS?

The system applies to over 60 countries that don’t currently need a visa to visit the European Union. These include the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom among others.

What is the Schengen Area?

Schengen Area signifies a zone where 27 European countries abolished their internal borders for the free and unrestricted movement of people, in harmony with common rules for controlling external borders and fighting criminality by strengthening the common judicial system and police cooperation.

Schengen Area covers most of the EU countries, except Ireland, and the countries that are soon to be part of the Schengen Area: Romania, Bulgaria, and Cyprus. 

Although not members of the EU, countries like Norway, Iceland, Switzerland and Lichtenstein are also part of the Schengen zone.