Say Goodbye to Permissionless Travel in Europe

[FJB]

Looks like starting sometime in 2024, US citizens will now need to ask for permission to travel to Europe and pay a small "tax" of approximately $8.  A form will need to be submitted weeks or months in advance of your travel plans in order to be approved to visit European countries.  But this is not a visa.  Details are murky based on what I can find.

Quote

Once upon a time, citizens of the United States could travel to almost every country in the European Union for 90 days without asking any government for permission beyond showing a passport at the initial point of entry. It was—and still is, for a few waning months—a marvelous if underacknowledged achievement for liberty.

Alas, the days of frictionless travel will soon be a memory. Starting at a so-far-unspecified date in early 2024, Americans and residents of 62 other countries that currently enjoy visa-free visitation to the Schengen Area of the E.U. will need to pay a fee and submit an online application (including biometric information, work experience, medical conditions, and initial itinerary), then pass a criminal/security background check, before enjoying that croissant in gay Paree. The grimly named European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) is projected to cost 7 euros per application and take up to 14 days to render a decision.

https://reason.com/2023/07/28/say-goodbye-to-permissionless-travel/

 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/news/you-could-soon-need-to-pay-to-visit-europe-everything-you-need-to-know-about-new-visa-requirements/ar-AA1eioan

 

[FJB]

ETA will also be required to travel to the UK. 
 

https://www.euronews.com/travel/2023/06/12/eu-tourists-could-soon-have-to-apply-for-permission-to-travel-before-entering-the-uk

[Kendall James-Vargas]

@FJB Thanks for sharing this news! It's just one more step to traveling. I prefer the more simplified methods but for this minimal rate, you will still catch me booking cruises for European countries when I can. Now I just have to save up even more than before! The lag time on this is the most concerning.