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US citizens will need a visa to visit Europe starting in 2021
- Simulacra 8y agoThis is in response to security concerns for some EU countries, so it's really just a political tit for tat. "The United States has been in a dispute with the EU's European Parliament and European Commission over visas for Bulgaria, Croatia, Poland, Romania and Cyprus. Travelers in those five countries are the only EU nations that the US requires to apply for a visa."
- Findeton 8y agoThe EU is acting as a single political body, that's good. The US requires a visa for visiting from the EU, thus the EU requires the same to USA visitors.
- deleted 8y ago[deleted]
- repolfx 8y agoIt's not that good. Now travel for millions of Americans is becoming more of a hassle. This suits the political agenda of the EU because it wants all of Europe to be a single country run by itself and doesn't care about collateral damage along the way or even revels in it (look how big and powerful we are). But in the end it's still just making travel harder for people, despite all their rhetoric about how freedom of movement is one of their "four pillars". There is no obligation for countries to always get bigger, or for countries to pretend there's no regional variations. ESTA is a pain and stupid and it gives me a worse impression of the USA every time I have to fill it out. There is no reason why the rest of the world should follow suit. I see nobody else has said it yet, so I will - I hope that after Brexit the UK can drop this ETIAS nonsense and be more welcoming to Americans, even if they don't drop ESTA in response.
- acjacobson 8y agoThe reason the rest of the world should follow suit is to pressure the US to drop ESTA. Visa free is visa free - if your country creates additional hassles, expect the other country to respond in kind.
- 0r10n 8y agoBut you don’t need a visa for travelling to all these five countries (for up to 90 days of stay). All of them (without Poland) are not in Schengen area for now, so maybe that’s the reason of this. https://www.mae.ro/en/node/2040 https://www.mae.ro/en/node/2040 https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/Romania.html https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-tra... https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/Bulgaria.html https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-tra...
- detaro 8y agoWrong way around... The US isn't allowing citizens of those countries in without a visa, and the EU principles generally say that visa(-free) reciprocity has to apply to all members (which in the case of the US has been ignored for years by the commission). That said, this new stuff seems to be pre-clearance for "visa-free" travel, so not really a change to this.
- qbaqbaqba 8y agoWhat security concerns?
- kashprime 8y agoThis is for an electronic travel authorization, which the US, Australia and Canada already require of all visitors. It's simple and takes minutes online, hardly a 'visa.'
- wdb 8y agoYes, the ESTA and now the US citizens have to do something similar to enter the EU. I hope they also need to pay for it when they just have a stopover in the EU just like us in the US. I am fully on board with this as a EU citizen
- karakot 8y agoas a US citizen from a 'shithole' country, I fully support it, lets all US/EU citizens experience what we all had to. Fill in a ton of papers, prove that you're a human too and get rejected.
- cm2187 8y agoHow do you define a visa then?
- philipov 8y ago"An endorsement on a passport indicating that the holder is allowed to enter, leave, or stay for a specified period of time in a country." A hat and a helmet both protect your head, but you wouldn't call them by the same name.
- cm2187 8y agoWell, with centralised IT systems, it doesn't need to be a physical sticker on your passport but rather an authorization number associated with your passport number (more secure than relying on someone not faking the sticker). But the vetting process is still there. Fundamentally isn't it the exact same thing (a sort of an electronic helmet)?
- ElBarto 8y agoNo, no visa will be needed. The EU is introducing a system equivalent to the US's ESTA. (Most) EU citizens may travel visa-free to the US but must register (and pay) on ESTA. It will be the same for US citizens to travel to the EU.
- throwaway12iii 8y agoBoth systems are visas. Fact.
- ElBarto 8y agoNo, they are not. ESTA specifically allows people to travel visa-free.
- rmind 8y agoThe article mixes two seaparate issues: - EU is introducing ETIAS, an electronic authorisation system which is pretty much modeled after the US ESTA system (used by visa-free nationals). It will apply to all countries which currently enjoy the visa-free regime with the EU and that includes USA. So, technically it is not a visa, but your details will be pre-checked and it will cost €7 (compared to $14 for US ESTA). Ironically, after Brexit, this requirement will also apply to UK. - There is a separate dispute between EU and US, because US imposes visas on five EU states (Bulgaria, Croatia, Poland, Romania and Cyprus). According the EU law, all EU countries should be treated equally or otherwise reciprocal measures should apply. There have been calls within the EU to respond tit for tat and impose EU visas on US citizens, if the issue does not get resolved soon. As an EU citizen, I can just add that I support both initiatives.
- kartan 8y agoExactly that. From https://www.eulisa.europa.eu/Activities/Large-Scale-It-Systems/Etias https://www.eulisa.europa.eu/Activities/Large-Scale-It-Syste... " ETIAS is a pre-travel authorisation system for visa exempt travellers." Video explaining the system: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=11&v=orrBJiXAcSU https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=11&v=orrBJiXAcSU
- Scoundreller 8y agoExactly. An American can still drive to Europe without an ETIAS, so it’s not a visa. Makes sense, don’t it?
- masonic 8y agoAn American can still drive to Europe The logistics are a bit tricky, however.
- benj111 8y agoWhy do you support the ETIAS initiative? As a EU citizen I benefit from freedom of movement within the EU, why would I want extra barriers being erected between nations? I struggle to see a benefit here, just downsides. Edit: I don't seem to have been clear. I know intra EU travel will remain unencumbered, my point was to illustrate that both the parent and I have been benefiting from that unencumbered travel, so why go the opposite way with other nations.
- deleted 8y ago[deleted]
- cm2187 8y agoTo be honest it very much looks like the US ESTA which is a visa in disguise. This seems like a legitimate reciprocity to the measures the US have taken against Europeans.
- ycombonator 8y agoThey have ex ISIS fighters and god knows who else walking freely across EU into countries like Germany & Sweden and they are worried about people across the pond. ️ In my opinion EU is trying to assert strength to demonstrate to its remaining members that’s a viable entity. The union is held together by fragile alliances and Germany can’t keep paying the bills for ever. It’s only a matter of time the whole thing unravels.
- chappi42 8y agoGermany has immense social costs for migrants, I don't think this is sustainable. There are also many 'single cases' of unwanted consequences (especially for women). Insofar I agree and think this retaliation is not where the action needs to be (also I'm not aware of a high number of Americans causing issues in Europe). Tit for tat is weak.
- SyneRyder 8y agoThis is really bad reporting. It isn't just US citizens, click here for a list of the 57 countries that will also require ETIAS in 2021: https://etias.com/about-etias/who-needs-etias https://etias.com/about-etias/who-needs-etias It even includes the island of Palau and their population of 20,000 people: https://etias.com/about-etias/etias-for-palauan-citizens https://etias.com/about-etias/etias-for-palauan-citizens This has nothing to do specifically with the US.
- runxel 8y agoWell, the US has never been good in terms of caring of other countries. This also just applies when it comes down to reporting...
- Scoundreller 8y agoIt’s funny to see the scam sites launch so quickly, just so they can charge 50 EUR in 2021 for sending in your 7 EUR application.
- aaomidi 8y agoAmericans are usually extremely lazy about this stuff. I wonder what the effects are going to be on Tourism in Europe.
- arkades 8y agoIt won't be a problem. It's not like Americans bring any tourist money to the EU.
- patrickaljord 8y agoChecking in from Paris, yes they do bring a lot of money.
- casefields 8y agoPretty sure he was being sarcastic.
- patrickaljord 8y agoSorry, yes I noticed he was being sarcastic but just wanted to make it clear for anyone wondering :)
- deleted 8y ago[deleted]
- dummyload 8y agoWell guys, it's due to lot of immigration and refugees specially Islamic ones freely moving inside EU through Sweden and Germany. US has already paid once when Patriot act did not exist and everything was free, free movement of money and people. It doesn't want to repeat it again. This is a bad move on part of EU as US doesn't let anyone in without strict background checks, so accept anyone from US to EU is relatively safe. But reverse is not true due to refugee crisis. Most people are missing the important context here charging based on ideals, not based on timeline and facts.
- UnpossibleJim 8y agoSo, given that the ETIAS was only for 5 countries of the EU and the EU has reciprocated by enacting a union wide measure that, essentially requires the same thing (in school yard fashion); are we now going to "push back" and require an ESTA for all countries in the EU?
- tgsovlerkhgsel 8y agoWhich EU countries do NOT require an ESTA to travel to the US?
- UnpossibleJim 8y agoTo my understanding it was only Bulgaria, Romania, Cyprus, Poland and ....shoot, I always forget the 5th one, anyway, I'll edit this when I look it up. That needed one.
- tgsovlerkhgsel 8y agoI believe these countries need real visa. Germany etc. still need ESTA.
- tapppi 8y agoYour comment confuses multiple points: * US requires visas for travellers from 5 EU countries, only ESTA for others. EU requires equal treatment of member nations. This is the point of the EU-USA discord * ETIAS is an electronic travel authorisation system similar to the ESTA, and applies to all travelers to the EU from visa-free countries. Practically ESTA and ETIAS are both e-visas. This applies to all countries, not just the US.
- geff82 8y agoThe elephant in the room is that between the EU and US, there should be no visa at all, ideally some kind of free move zone like the EU is itself (and befriended states like Switzerland)
- fiblye 8y ago>there should be no visa at all And why is that?
- ajmurmann 8y agoWe need people to travel and get different perspectives more and not less. I too often see arguments in political discourse that something could never work, yet I've been to many countries where these things are normal. For example, I want all US citizens to experience a great pic transportation system so that we can elevate the discussion in the US about it. Likewise I want everyone to experience a Japanese city, so that we can have a better discussion about the forever in the US and Japan's zoning system. I want Germans to see that the sky doesn't fall off you get rid off the insane system that requires permission from existing, local stores before you can open your own or just even see how convenient a countdown on a traffic light can be. We have so much to learn from each other! In fact I wish we could make it mandatory for everyone to have to live a year in a foreign country. It would make the world a much better place.
- fiblye 8y agoKeep in mind that not everyone wants others to experience their country. If everybody went to Bhutan, it’d lose everything that makes it unique. If a country imposed a visa policy on other countries, most of the time, they do it based on some degree of reason (although some are definitely petty bullshit reasons). And visas aren’t even really a hindrance for Americans going to Europe or most countries. They’ll be stamped off pretty much guaranteed, unless you’ve got major criminal convictions or reason to be suspicious (like planning a 6 month vacation with <$1000 in the bank). The real problem is paying for flight tickets, hotels, and actually getting vacation time.
- deleted 8y ago[deleted]
- VirtualAirwaves 8y agoIs it really just another tax/revenue source? Or does it serve a purpose?
- christoff12 8y ago“The Union said that the ETIAS visa is valid for three years and allows Americans to enter the Schengen Area as many times as necessary.” > if I’m understanding this correctly, it’ll make things easier for nomads
- arthurofbabylon 8y agoWill visitors be permitted to stay longer than 90 days per 180 days?
- tapppi 8y agoNo, since the traditional visa waivers are only for stays of up to 90 days originally as well. So you'll still need a visa for longer stays, most likely either a work or student visa. https://www.schengenvisainfo.com/etias/ https://www.schengenvisainfo.com/etias/ > You can enter the Schengen member states for as many times as you want, for as long as your ETIAS is valid, and you have not stayed more than 90 days in a 180 days period.
- dontbenebby 8y agoIt sounds like this e-visa is good for 3 years... does that mean hypothetically I could go digital nomad in Schengen Area as a US citizen?
- nyrulez 8y agoIf you conduct business or "work", you might have to get a separate visa with different terms. EU seems to be pretty strict about "work-permits". There are risks to doing such activities on a regular tourist visa.
- aaomidi 8y agoWonder what the risks are.
- dontbenebby 8y agoI was under the impression if you're employed by a US company and simply traveling you're fine. The EU has a pretty strict definition of "working" - eg checking an email from your boss on vacation in Berlin is technically working. I think what would run afoul is if you're doing journalism, photography, or something where you're doing the work in th EU, versus firing up a corporate VPN and writing code on a US server for a US company. (Keep in mind you can do things like go to meetings or attend conferences w/o a special visa in the EU and Canada currently) I suspect in the long term "digital nomad" visas will become a thing. After all, if someone wants to work in say, Tokyo or Talinn for 2 years in their early 20s, and is willing to pay Japanese or Estonian taxes, that could be a win win. You get someone in a high tax bracket bringing money in, and presumably buying other things (eating out, rent etc).
- fred256 8y agoIt probably just means that for the next 3 years you don't have to re-apply every time you visit, but doesn't change anything about how long you're allowed to stay.
- cr1895 8y agoThis isn’t a visa, and the 90 days visa-free travel allowance still applies.
- tjbiddle 8y agoThis sounds amazing! When I first began traveling, I had to strategically time my time in the Schengen region to not overstay 90 days within a 180 day period. I ended up going to the Balkan region for a few months before circling back into the Schengen at the tail end. This setup allows for 3-years multi-entry. That's insane! Well done, EU.
- ucha 8y agoThe 90 days within 180 days period restriction still applies. It's just that you will need a visa now and it will last 3 years whereas you didn't need one before.
- anonu 8y agoWe are witnessing the breakdown of the world order established post WWII. The EU exists because of the US. Its security and trade routes are guaranteed because the US is an ally. No EU country has a military that compares to that of the US, especially in terms of naval power. Hindering access to the EU may be a minor nuisance on the surface. But its a harbinger of worse things to come and undermines the unprecedented peace and stability we've seen in the world in the last 75 years.
- ElBarto 8y agoThe EU exists because of Europeans. The US do not want the EU to be a political power. The US have had the 20th century, that great for them but it's high time for Europe to recover.
- casefields 8y agoYou don’t see how the Marshall Plan helped at all? That of course, being after that little skirmish of World War 2.
- ElBarto 8y agoThe Marshall Plan was the US keeping the Reds at bay. Peanuts in comparison to the jackpot that WWII was for the US, and it cemented their influence.
- Scoundreller 8y agoUgh, I hope their system avoids some real messes, but unlikely: 1) massive number of scam sites charging tons of money to submit your application (hopefully) 2) doesn’t crash on the first day 3) doesn’t exempt rich people that come by private plane (unlikely) 4) still allows EU nationals to get into EU with the Canadian or American passports. I’m technically an EU citizen by lineage, but havent bothered to get that passport since I don’t even speak the language. It will probably still have to loophole if flying into a non-EU country and then driving in.
- Scoundreller 8y agoWhen scenario that really has really caused issues in the Canadian system is that they required Canadian permanent residents and Canadian work permit holders to travel with those permits. They were ineligible for the Canadian ETIAS. But if they lost their permits while overseas, it could take weeks for a new permit, meanwhile a Canadian passport holder could get a new one in 24hrs.
- sys_64738 8y agoI'm an EU citizen who enters Europe on a US passport. Will I be forced to pony up money for this?
- cr1895 8y agoWhy would you enter the EU on a US passport if you’re an EU citizen?
- sys_64738 8y agoYou must enter/exit the USA with a US passport.
- acjacobson 8y agoYes, that means you must use a US passport when you are leaving a US airport. When you enter at an EU port you you can use whatever passport you want (unless the country you are entering has a specific requirement). I have an old friend that is dual US / UK citizen and both countries require that he use his passport when entering / exiting the country. So he leaves the US using a US passport, and he enters the UK using a UK passport. And vice versa. If you are a dual EU/US citizen you ONLY have to use your US passport when you enter the US, and when you leave (which hardly counts because there is no exit immigration in the US). Once you arrive in the EU use your EU passport to take the fast line.
- mk89 8y agoCompletely useless response from our incompetent and overpaid European politicians two months before the elections. The world goes in one direction, and what do they do? They really think to increase security by applying these measures against countries like USA, Canada or Mexico... ? I must be living in a parallel universe.
- obrisintor 8y agoThat is a shame. Whenever I would take a long trip that went geographically over the EU, I would usually buy a ticket that had a 8+ hour layover somewhere in the EU and tour around for a little while. I guess I will now have to find another country to take a layover in. Maybe I will start flying British Airway if the UK lets me visit visa free.
- Fjolsvith 8y agoPreposterous! Central American citizens don't need a visa to visit the United States!