ETIAS Waiver for Schengen countries?

[nini]

We are (hopefully) embarking on a TA from Fort Lauderdale to Copenhagen. Then we stay

on the ship for a Scandinavian itinerary which includes St. Petersburg. I did not think that we

would need a VISA, but then I found the following: (comments please?)

 

 

"If you are a U.S, U.K, Canada or Australia citizen then you do not need to apply for a visa if you are spending no more than 90 days in the Schengen states. This is because these countries and the Schengen Area have a visa-free travel arrangement. You should, however, ensure that your passport is valid up until at least three months after your planned return home.

 

***It is worth noting that from 2021, citizens will need to apply for an ETIAS visa waiver before they travel, which can be obtained online and will cost €7 ($7.82)."

[CruiserBruce]

Pretty straight forward...you will need the ETIAS for your trip.

 

For St Petersburg, as discussed here frequently, it will depend on what you plan on doing. For ship's or private tours, the Russian visa coverage will be provided by the ship or the tour vendor. If you plan on wondering off on your own, you will need to secure your own visa. In either case, you will need to take your passport ashore with you. 

 

The ETIAS has nothing to do with Russia.

[nini]

Hi CruiserBruce-

Someone on our Roll Call said that it should not apply to us because we

will be there fewer than 90 days.

And yes, I know about the visas provided for St. Petersburg which is great.

 

Anyway, this website is a bit confusing. It says that we will need them for under 90 days.

www.etias.us

[nini]

I did find this on the ETIAS website. At least it is not until 2022, so this conflicts with the 2021 date.

 

"As many Americans already know, starting from late 2022 third-country nationals will need to apply for an ETIAS electronic authorization before they can enter the Schengen area.

The new regulations will apply to U.S. citizens too, who will not lose their visa-free status for Europe (as to say, they will not need a Schengen visa) but will be obliged to register with ETIAS prior to departure.

 

ETIAS (European Travel Information and Authorization System) is being implemented to protect the safety of Europeans and foreigners on European soil. It is also expected to speed up border checks at Schengen points of entry, meaning less queuing for tourists at the airport, port, or land crossing of their choice."

[nini]

UPDATE:

 

ETIAS Launch Date

According to an official source from the EU commission, the public launch of the ETIAS has been postponed until the end of 2022.

[CruiserBruce]

Yep, it sounds like the ETIAS has been delayed. This must have just happened in the last couple of days. Good for you, and for us, as we are planning to be in Italy in May/June, 2021.

 

There is a difference between a Visa and an ETIAS. A visa is required if you are staying longer than 90 days. A ETISA is a "electronic travel authorization"....not the same as a visa. You can stay up to 90 days on an ETIAS.

[phabric]

Thanks for the update, last time I checked they were starting in 2021 maybe with what is going on they have postponed it to 2022.  I have B2B cruises from Southampton doing cruise to Norwegian Fjords and Scandinavia.

[gnome12]

12 minutes ago, phabric said:

Thanks for the update, last time I checked they were starting in 2021 maybe with what is going on they have postponed it to 2022.  I have B2B cruises from Southampton doing cruise to Norwegian Fjords and Scandinavia.

It was never going to be a big deal. You need to spend less than $15 Canadian so that they know who is coming. It isn't onerous.

 

That said, I'm travelling in fall 2021 and it is good to know that I don't need to worry about it.

[kaisatsu]

The ETIAS is pretty much just the European equivalent of an ESTA. Not a visa, but still required. The US has being doing this for years.

[Roger88]

22 minutes ago, kaisatsu said:

The ETIAS is pretty much just the European equivalent of an ESTA. Not a visa, but still required. The US has being doing this for years.

US citizens did not require a VISA to enter Europe, I may suppose that starting next year we will have some sort of a pass to enter the schengen zone. Specifically we will be required to pass Covid tests and supply them with information regarding our previous cases of being Covid infected or something. 

[kaisatsu]

1 hour ago, Roger88 said:

US citizens did not require a VISA to enter Europe, I may suppose that starting next year we will have some sort of a pass to enter the schengen zone. Specifically we will be required to pass Covid tests and supply them with information regarding our previous cases of being Covid infected or something. 

Sorry for the confusion. My statement about it being required was referring to the future (currently 2023) when the ETIAS goes into effect. At that point, it's true that US citizens will still not need a visa for tourist visits, but they will need to apply for the ETIAS authorization once every three years. That's why I compared it to the ESTA authorization that's required for visa-free travel to the US.

 

As for COVID restrictions, who knows. Most Europeans are still banned from entering the US right now, because they are considered a COVID threat and might bring the virus into the country. 😝

[gnome12]

As for COVID restrictions, who knows. Most Europeans are still banned from entering the US right now, because they are considered a COVID threat and might bring the virus into the country. [emoji13]

 

With over 4 million infections one might think that ship has sailed. [emoji3]

 

How many Europeans have any interest in traveling to the US right now? Currently the Canada/US border is closed to non-essential travel. I am in Canada while my sister is in the US. Much as I miss her, I don’t really have any desire to cross the border right now.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

[kaisatsu]

On 7/24/2020 at 2:55 PM, gnome12 said:

With over 4 million infections one might think that ship has sailed.

You'd think! But the restrictions haven't been updated since March. 

 

On 7/24/2020 at 2:55 PM, gnome12 said:

How many Europeans have any interest in traveling to the US right now? Currently the Canada/US border is closed to non-essential travel. I am in Canada while my sister is in the US. Much as I miss her, I don’t really have any desire to cross the border right now.

Probably not so many. Mostly people who want to visit or care for family members.

But you never know! We had a bunch of people jump at the chance to vacation in Spain as soon as the border opened. Then the numbers spiked again, and they'll all have to quarantine when they return.