Americans and Mexicans who wish to travel to Europe in 2024 must apply for a new permit as a security and border control measure. The new permit is called ETIAS, which is a European Union Travel Information and Authorization System that will simplify the entry authorization process, a security and border control measure.
This new permit is not a visa as such, but a simple registration for Americans, Mexicans and for citizens of most Latin American countries who wish to visit one or more of the 26 countries of the European Union, which are part of the Schengen Area. Registration should also be done for those who are exempt from a visa who want to travel for tourism or as part of their business.
Why process the ETIAS permit?
ETIAS is a permit or registration similar to the Canadian eTA, which, beyond being a visa, is to have the information of each passenger who arrives by air and its processing can be done online. “The ETIAS system will subject each applicant to a detailed security control to determine if they are authorized to enter any country in the Schengen area,” the European Union announced.
“Due to the fact that citizens of countries that do not need a visa for trips of a maximum duration of 90 days within the EU are not required to go through a lengthy visa application process, ETIAS ensures that these people do not pose a security risk, “they add in a statement.
The new ETIAS permit will track and update the necessary data to relate them to those visitors, to check if their entry into the countries of the European Union or the Schengen Area is safe.
These are the countries that are part of the Schengen Area: Germany, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Luxembourg, Norway, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, the Czech Republic, Sweden and Switzerland.
It should be clarified that ETIAS is not exactly a work permit, but the authorization is for those who want or have to travel for tourism, business, medical or transit reasons.
What are the steps to complete the ETIAS process?
To start the ETIAS process, you must have a valid passport, in addition to an email address and a debit or credit card. To carry out the procedure, you must answer a form available online, with various information such as name, date of birth and country of origin, in addition to passport information.
“Most ETIAS applications will be processed in a matter of minutes. All applications will be compared with security databases such as SIS, VIS, Europol Data and Interpol. The ETIAS system has its own evaluation standards, as well as a list of alerts that will help identify travelers who could present a threat,” they explain.
Applicants will receive the ETIAS approval by email, or failing that, the reason for the denial of the permit. The approximate cost would be 7 euros (7.80 dollars), while minors can carry out the process at no cost. Once the permit is authorized, it will have the approval for the next 3 years.
This is the list of countries whose citizens must process the ETIAS permit:
USA
Mexico
Albanian
Antigua and Barbuda
Argentina
Australia
Bahamas
Barbados
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Brazil
Brunei
Canada
Chile
Colombia
Costa Rica
Dominican Republic
El Salvador
Georgia
Grenade
Guatemala
Honduras
Hong Kong S.A.R.
Israel
Japan
Kiribati
Macau SAR
Malaysia
Marshall Islands
Mauricio
Micronesia
Moldova
Montenegro
Nauru
New Zealand
Nicaragua
North Macedonia
Palau
Panama
Paraguayan
Peru
Saint Kitts and Nevis
St. Lucia
St vincent
Samoa
Serbian
Seychelles
Singapore
Solomon Islands
South Korea
Taiwan
East Timor
Tonga
Trinidad and Tobago
Tuvalu
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
Uruguay
Venezuela
Source: Marca
