ETIAS: THE FUTURE OF ESTA IN EUROPE?

ETIAS is a travel authorization scheduled for launch in 2020. Requested by the French and German governments for several years, this document is inspired by the AmericanESTA (also adopted by Canada). The ETIAS is designed to reinforce the security of European territory by checking the identity of travelers even before they board the plane.

WHAT IS ETIAS FOR?

In the wake of the terrorist attacks that have struck Europe in recent years, a feeling of insecurity recently forced members of the European Parliament’s Civil Liberties Committee to establish new security protocols. The European Union has turned to the American security system embodied in ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorization):

• Travelers are required to fill out a questionnaire using information from their passport;
• The application is automatically processed online according to the regulations of each country of entry;
• A travel authorization valid for several years;
• Allows stays of up to 90 consecutive days;
• Allows the holder to undertake tourist or business trips, or simply to pass through.

In place since 2009, the ESTA USA has proven to be incomparably effective: the authorization facilitates access to the U.S. territory for millions of visitors, and enables customs agents to pre-screen travelers. The application fees also finance the services that process the applications, as well as operations to promote tourism in the United States. ESTA is a formula that benefits both travellers and the US government, and it is essentially this model that will be applied to ETIAS.

WHO IS ETIAS FOR?

Obtaining an ETIAS will be compulsory for nationals of all countries currently exempt from visa requirements. Between the time you read this article and 2020, new countries may have been added to the program.

Currently, the following countries are participating in the ETIAS program:

Albania, Andorra, Antigua & Barbuda, Argentina, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Brazil, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominica, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Honduras, Hong Kong, Israel, Japan, Kiribati, Macao, Macedonia, Malaysia, Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Mexico, Micronesia, South Korea, Moldova, Montenegro, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Palau, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Serbia, Seychelles, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Taiwan, East Timor, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tuvalu, England, Uruguay, Vanuatu, Venezuela.

People in possession of an ETIAS travel authorization will then be able to travel freely in the following countries:

Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland.