When European citizens (as well as those from a list of other approved countries) visit the U.S., they need to apply for an ESTA, which allows to enter the country without needing a visa.

Starting in 2021, a similar system will be in place in the European Union, including Italy: dubbed “ETIAS” (European Travel Information and Authorization System), it will work the same way as the ESTA, tracking tourists and allowing them entry when they wish to travel to countries that do not have a visa system in effect.

How will the ETIAS work?

This means that travelers coming from a visa-free country such as the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand (and many others) will undergo a security check which will determine whether they are approved to travel to the countries in the European Union.

For instance, the ETIAS system will establish whether an individual has overstayed their allowed 90 days visa-less period in a previous travel to the EU, which automatically means they will be turned away upon arrival in Europe. This kind of monitoring is already active, but the ETIAS will do so more quickly – in just a few minutes.

Visitors applying for an ETIAS will be asked to fill a form and pay a fee of 7 EUR per person (between the ages of 18 and 70). The ETIAS approval will be valid for 3 years, or until the expiration date of the ID provided upon presentation of the form itself.

Every part of the process will be carried out online. In the event an application doesn’t check out, for any reason (incoherent data, fake information etc.) the form will go through a manual control, which is expected to last between 96 hours and a maximum of 2 weeks.

Any other changes I should know about?

The 90-days period to stay in the Schengen area will still apply. The only change is that the ETIAS process will be quicker, will only last a few minutes for most application and will allow you to proceed with your travel arrangements more efficiently and with no hassles (we hear horror stories of people who were denied entry to the EU AFTER paying for their accommodation and airline tickets!).

The ETIAS is not a visa – you will only need it to enter those countries that do not have a visa system in effect. Conversely, if a visa will be requested of you to enter a specific country, the ETIAS will not be necessary.

The only ID necessary for an ETIAS application is a passport – no other documents will be accepted.

For any other detail not covered by this post, please visit the official site for the scheme.