Visa required for Americans traveling to EU starting in 2024?

[hallasm]

10 minutes ago, Old Fart Cruisers said:

Will we have to apply for ETIAS for each country, or will it be one form where you check of what countries and dates you are visiting?  

Only one form - it will be valid for all Schengen area entries/countries.

It will be valid for three years- no matter which Schengen countries and when.

You’ll not be asked to provide a ‘travel plan’ when register for the ETIAS.

 

Edited July 22, 2023 by hallasm

[mom says]

The ETIAS will not be needed for the UK or Ireland. It is for entry into the entire Schengen zone, upon entry at the first Schengen port, so only one application is needed.

Edited July 22, 2023 by mom says

[BOB999]

A single ETIAS application/fee is valid for the entire Schengen zone (30 countries covering most of Continenal Europe) for all entries for either 3 years or when the passport expires. So you don't need to apply each trip.

 

The United Kingdom is creating their own Electronic Travel Authorization scheme which, once implemented, will be required to enter the UK.

[frantic36]

12 hours ago, ontheweb said:

I called our TA and he thought it would be taken care of with the airfare as that its how it is presently done with Australia..

 

You have to apply for an Australian ETA seperate too an airfare so it is the same as an ETIAS. A friend visiting from California in April must have been given the same misinformation as he had the extra stress at the airport of applying for his ETA before his flight. Luckily he went early for check-in and the ETA can be done online and he got it quickly within the hour.

[ontheweb]

5 hours ago, hallasm said:

When flying to the UK, the airline will not worry about  ETIAS (once required for travel).

The actual registration of the ETIAS will be quite simple, but possible to let a TA do the registration on your behalf.
I believe TA’s will know once ETIAS required for travel to the Schengen area.
When checking in on a cruise ship visiting Schengen Area , they will check ETIAS in the same way as they have to check visas for travelers where a Schengen visa is required.

Yes, I realize that. Our TA was thinking of the requirement for Australia and that you would need it to fly there before the cruise. I pointed out to him that we were flying to London where it was not required, but would be required on the cruise.

 

Then it became moot as they postponed it once again.

[John Bull]

10 hours ago, ontheweb said:

Yes, I realize that. Our TA was thinking of the requirement for Australia and that you would need it to fly there before the cruise. I pointed out to him that we were flying to London where it was not required, but would be required on the cruise.

 

Then it became moot as they postponed it once again.

 

 

Just to clarify ......

Like the US ESTA, it would be very unwise to leave getting an ETIAS until a day or two before arrival. In theory it will be e-mailed to the applicant within 2 or 3 days, but - as happened to me with my first ESTA - it can take a couple of weeks if there's a query (I never did learn why mine was delayed, one possibility was an undesirable with the same name).

An ETIAS will be valid for 3 years (ESTA 2 years), so there's no need to leave it late.

 

And there will be refusals. 

If there's anything dark in your history which just might result in a refusal it'd be wise to apply & receive your ETIAS (or ESTA for travel to the USA) before you commit to major irretrievable expense such as air fares or hotel bookings or cruise tickets.

(And if, for example, you've served time in jail for robbing a bank you'd best visit Europe before ETIAS comes into effect 😏)

 

JB 🙂

[VMax1700]

3 hours ago, John Bull said:

And there will be refusals. 

If there's anything dark in your history which just might result in a refusal it'd be wise to apply & receive your ETIAS (or ESTA for travel to the USA) before you commit to major irretrievable expense such as air fares or hotel bookings or cruise tickets.

(And if, for example, you've served time in jail for robbing a bank you'd best visit Europe before ETIAS comes into effect 😏)

Not just your dark history!  I happen to share the name of a convicted felon (murder) and ran into 'clarification' difficulties with my first ever ESTA.  Hopefully 'Information' Technology has progressed, however you never know when the visa waiver system will throw you a curved ball and the application take more time than anticipated.

[John Bull]

15 minutes ago, VMax1700 said:

Not just your dark history!  I happen to share the name of a convicted felon (murder) and ran into 'clarification' difficulties with my first ever ESTA.  Hopefully 'Information' Technology has progressed, however you never know when the visa waiver system will throw you a curved ball and the application take more time than anticipated.

 

Sounds like the probable reason why my first ESTA was delayed. Hence my advice not to leave such applications til late.

 

I just checked my full name on Google. It seems I'm a convicted felon from Kentucky, though quite why I'd need an ESTA .......🤔

 

JB 🙂

[History&Wine]

The new regulations are called the European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS). When the system launches in early 2024, it will require all visitors who currently travel to Europe visa-free, such as citizens from the US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, to apply for travel authorization and receive approval prior to their departure.

 

https://www.cntraveler.com/story/americans-will-need-visa-for-the-eu

[Shorex]

There is a discussion about this on the "Ask a Cruise Question" board. It is clear that "visa" is a misnomer. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2951905-visa-required-for-americans-traveling-to-eu-starting-in-2024/

 

Posts 3, 8, and 12 (and others) clarify that the procedure will be neither complicated nor expensive. It's very similar to the ESTA that Europeans get for travel to the US. Nothing to worry about, just something to be aware of.

[Leejnd4]

Well this piqued my interest, given that I'm booked on a Crystal cruise for late next year! I read both of your links, and certainly it sounds like it will be a nothing-burger...provided their system really does work as smoothly as is being claimed. All new systems are subject to unforeseen glitches. 

 

Here in Mexico, where I currently live, they recently switched over from paper tourist visas (again not really "visas" per se - just a form called FMM) to electronic tracking and passport stamps. There was a lot of confusion at the beginning, but things are finally settling down. There are still some airports that make you fill out an FMM, but most are finally switching over to the electronic tracking & passport stamps.

 

My only question is, what will happen to travelers who arrive in Europe without having obtained one prior to coming? Will there be a process at the airports for this? 

[Shorex]

2 hours ago, Leejnd4 said:

My only question is, what will happen to travelers who arrive in Europe without having obtained one prior to coming? Will there be a process at the airports for this? 

The airlines use Timatic, a system to verify documents at check-in. https://www.iata.org/en/services/compliance/timatic/

The agent verifies your passport, visa if necessary, and any other required document for arriving at your final destination. All docs must be in place or they won't let you board the flight.

 

One of the posts in the other thread mentioned that it's smart to apply for the ETIAS well in advance, don't know how "well" is defined in this context. A poster also from the other thread wrote:

 

"It will be valid for all Schengen area entries/countries.

It will be valid for three years- no matter which Schengen countries and when.

You’ll not be asked to provide a ‘travel plan’ when register for the ETIAS."

 

That's second hand information, but when ETIAS rolls out, I except a flood of publicity, and all the TA's should be brought up to speed.

[Leejnd4]

1 hour ago, Shorex said:

The airlines use Timatic, a system to verify documents at check-in. https://www.iata.org/en/services/compliance/timatic/

The agent verifies your passport, visa if necessary, and any other required document for arriving at your final destination. All docs must be in place or they won't let you board the flight.

 

One of the posts in the other thread mentioned that it's smart to apply for the ETIAS well in advance, don't know how "well" is defined in this context. A poster also from the other thread wrote:

 

"It will be valid for all Schengen area entries/countries.

It will be valid for three years- no matter which Schengen countries and when.

You’ll not be asked to provide a ‘travel plan’ when register for the ETIAS."

 

That's second hand information, but when ETIAS rolls out, I except a flood of publicity, and all the TA's should be brought up to speed.

Thanks for this detail. Certainly it's in Europe's, and the travel industry's, best interests to ensure this all works like clockwork, given the importance of tourism on Europe's economy. I'm not too worried. 🙂 

[Keith1010]

2 hours ago, Shorex said:

The airlines use Timatic, a system to verify documents at check-in. https://www.iata.org/en/services/compliance/timatic/

The agent verifies your passport, visa if necessary, and any other required document for arriving at your final destination. All docs must be in place or they won't let you board the flight.

 

One of the posts in the other thread mentioned that it's smart to apply for the ETIAS well in advance, don't know how "well" is defined in this context. A poster also from the other thread wrote:

 

"It will be valid for all Schengen area entries/countries.

It will be valid for three years- no matter which Schengen countries and when.

You’ll not be asked to provide a ‘travel plan’ when register for the ETIAS."

 

That's second hand information, but when ETIAS rolls out, I except a flood of publicity, and all the TA's should be brought up to speed.

I agree and also appreciate your earlier post. They’ve been doing this for along time for countries such as Australia. They know you have it when you check in for the flight.  No ETA no boarding. 
 

Keith

[rafinmd]

1 hour ago, Keith1010 said:

I agree and also appreciate your earlier post. They’ve been doing this for along time for countries such as Australia. They know you have it when you check in for the flight.  No ETA no boarding. 
 

Keith

Do they also check this on cruise ships?  I can't remember for sure but I  thin when I boarded Serenity in 2020 they checked for Australia and perhaps New Zealand ETA's.

 

Roy

[oakridger]

Roy, the Symphony did check for the Australia version in 2019 before I boarded the ship in Valparaiso, Chile.  New Zealand hadn't started their program yet in 2019 but have a similar online "visa" now also.  It was easy and quick to get the Australia one.

 

~Nancy

[Roland4]

3 hours ago, rafinmd said:

Do they also check this on cruise ships?  I can't remember for sure but I  thin when I boarded Serenity in 2020 they checked for Australia and perhaps New Zealand ETA's.

 

Roy

Roy, the Autralian/NZ ETA, as I supsect the Europe ETIAS, will be attached to your passport record. Once the passport is scanned, the record will appear. More importantly, it will be scanned when you check in for your flights. No ETA/ETIAS, no boarding the flight to get there! 

[FlyerTalker]

1 hour ago, Roland4 said:

No ETA/ETIAS, no boarding the flight to get there! 

 

Because if you don't have the proper documentation, and are refused entry, the airline has to fly you back to where you came from.  So the airline checks.

[Keith1010]

6 hours ago, rafinmd said:

Do they also check this on cruise ships?  I can't remember for sure but I  thin when I boarded Serenity in 2020 they checked for Australia and perhaps New Zealand ETA's.

 

Roy

Roy, I would always give it to them but not sure if they needed it both for Australia and then when they started this for New Zealand.  Turkey implemented something similar if you were leaving there the year we ended there which was 2014 and I did it from the ship and gave it to them. That was a new one for Turkey.

 

Keith

[Keith1010]

I've been reading/hearing about the European one for quite sometime. I believe they wanted to first implement this in 2022 and it kept slipping. The process looks like getting one for Australia so it appears not to be a big deal.

 

Keith

[Zele]

The title of this topic is very misleading '....travel to Europe..'

 

The ETIAS scheme only applies to 30 countries in Europe.

 

These are EU countries and those with bilateral agreements with the EU like Norway and Switzeland.

 

Other European countries like the UK are outside of the scheme. 

 

 

[ontheweb]

20 hours ago, Shorex said:

There is a discussion about this on the "Ask a Cruise Question" board. It is clear that "visa" is a misnomer. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2951905-visa-required-for-americans-traveling-to-eu-starting-in-2024/

 

Posts 3, 8, and 12 (and others) clarify that the procedure will be neither complicated nor expensive. It's very similar to the ESTA that Europeans get for travel to the US. Nothing to worry about, just something to be aware of.

And (unless they change what has been proposed for a few years) even less expensive for those over 70 or under 18. Their fee will be $0.

[Zach1213]

11 hours ago, Zele said:

The ETIAS scheme only applies to 30 countries in Europe.

 

"Only" is not quite the right term if you ask me. ETIAS will be required by the majority of countries in Europe, and many of the countries that aren't using ETIAS are the ones less-visited by tourists (not talking UK or Ireland of course, but places Belarus, Ukraine, North Macedonia, Albania, and places like that). The vast majority of countries a cruiser or other holiday-goer to Europe will visit will require an ETIAS. 

[ontheweb]

2 minutes ago, Zach1213 said:

 

"Only" is not quite the right term if you ask me. ETIAS will be required by the majority of countries in Europe, and many of the countries that aren't using ETIAS are the ones less-visited by tourists (not talking UK or Ireland of course, but places Belarus, Ukraine, North Macedonia, Albania, and places like that). The vast majority of countries a cruiser or other holiday-goer to Europe will visit will require an ETIAS. 

And if at least one country on your cruise needs an ETIAS, it does not really matter if other countries on the cruise do not have that requirement.

[wineoclock]

On 7/25/2023 at 10:32 PM, Keith1010 said:

I agree and also appreciate your earlier post. They’ve been doing this for along time for countries such as Australia. They know you have it when you check in for the flight.  No ETA no boarding. 
 

Keith

We were travelling with friends to the US. One of them had an Esta due to expire while in US. They weren’t allowed to board & reapplied at the airport. Luckily we were all travelling virgin upper so it didn’t take too long at check in.