Janet loves watching movies on the Hallmark Channel. Me…not so much. Every movie is the same. Two characters who have been unlucky in love meet, fall in love, fall out of love because of a comically tragic misunderstanding, fall back in love when said misunderstanding is resolved, and everyone lives happily ever after. Every…single…movie. Oh, and there is often a dog or a cat gratuitously thrown into the story line to amp up the cuteness factor. A recurring plot device the Hallmark Channel writers use to bring their lead characters together is for one of them to decide to travel to Europe. Because somehow getting a stamp on their passport is the next best thing to finding true love.
If you aren’t a fan of the Hallmark Channel, trust me when I say the passport stamp is a thing…they debuted four new movies just this past summer during their “Passport to Love” event in June. Well, guess what Hallmark Channel writers? Your jobs just got a little bit harder…the EU is doing away with the passport stamp!
The European Union is imposing two new entry requirements for non-European travelers in the coming months: the Entry/Exit System or EES, and the European Travel and Information Authorization System or ETIAS. I’ve seen a bit of angst in some media reports covering the changes the EU will be implementing to their traveler entry processes, but for the most part it is much ado about nothing. I’ll deal with each in the order they will be going into effect.
The first new entry requirement is the EES, and it goes into effect on November 10th of this year. Although implementation is just around the corner, travelers don’t have to do anything to comply. There is no requirement to register, no forms to fill out, and no cost to travelers under this new system. At the risk of oversimplifying, the EES is simply a more automated method of bookkeeping to allow European immigration officials to better track non-European visitors.
From the traveler’s perspective the EES is a passive system…all you need do is tolerate your picture being taken when you arrive, for facial recognition purposes. If that bothers you, don't travel...facial recognition systems are already in place at most airports around the world. In addition to your picture, biometric information from the chip imbedded in the front cover of your passport will be uploaded to the EES database. And of course, you will no longer be getting your passport stamped. Rather than relying on dated entry and exit stamps, EU immigration officials will scan passports and use the EES to track foreigner comings and goings, and to identify when a visitor has overstayed their welcome.
The security of the biometric data EES collects and stores is one of the few legitimate concerns I’ve seen expressed about the system. EES will retain biometric data on all non-European travelers entering and exiting participating European countries for three years. In addition to tracking travelers who stay longer than allowed, the data collected and stored in the EES can be shared, for cause, with European and international law enforcement agencies like Europol and Interpol.
Collecting and storing biometric data on U.S. travelers isn’t new…it has become commonplace at most modern airports since the U.S. State Department began issuing all passports with biometric data chips in 2007. EES is merely a tool to allow European officials to use the data more efficiently, and to share it among participating EU members.
The other concern I've read is the potential for delays at entry points when EES goes live, as immigration officers adjust to the new procedures and tech experts deal with the inevitable system glitches. Hopefully, given the number of years the EU has been working on the system, any delays will be short and short-lived.
The second new entry requirement the EU will be implementing in the coming months is the European Travel and Information Authorization System or ETIAS. The EU has been trying to implement their ETIAS since 2018 but the system has been plagued by interoperability issues. It appears the EU has finally worked out the bugs and they plan to implement the ETIAS in the first half of 2025. The specific date is still TBD, but everything I'm reading says May with a six month grace period, so stay tuned.
I’ve written about ETIAS before, but by way of a memory jogger it is Europe’s non-visa travel authorization. Unlike the EES, it does require action on the part of travelers. You will need to submit an electronic form online in advance of your travel and pay a 7 Euro processing fee (roughly $8). Once you submit the form online, ETIAS will automatically run the information you submit through multiple databases to make sure you aren’t a criminal or terrorist. Most people will get an email approval of their visit within minutes of submitting the ETIAS form, but the EU recommends travelers submit their ETIAS forms at least 96 hours prior to their scheduled departure for Europe. You can do so as soon as you’ve made your travel plans if you prefer, and that’s what I recommend as soon as the system starts accepting submissions.
An ETIAS form is required for all travelers entering the EU, including infants and children, but it is not required for travelers passing through EU airports to catch connecting flights with a final destination outside of the EU, provided your connecting flight doesn’t require you to leave the international flight security zone. Some airlines may require an approved ETIAS even for transiting passengers, so it is best to check with your airline a week or so prior to your departure to be sure.
Once your ETIAS visit request is approved you will receive notification by e-mail, and that’s it…you are done. You won’t get a QR code or approval letter to be scanned or to display when you go through a European immigration checkpoint…your approval is tied to your passport number, and both are stored in the ETIAS database. When you go through a European immigration checkpoint and an agent scans your passport, your ETIAS approval status will be displayed to immigration agents and off you go on your European adventure. Without a passport stamp.
An approved ETIAS travel request allows you to visit as many participating European countries, as many times as you wish, for a cumulative total of up to 90 days in any 180 day period. And it is valid for three years or until your passport expires, whichever comes first. If you plan to stay in Europe longer, you’ll have to apply for the appropriate category of visa.
In the unlikely event your ETIAS application is denied, you will receive specific instructions on how to appeal the decision. Appeals will be adjudicated by whatever country rejected your travel request. Timelines and procedures will vary, but you can expect an appeal to take several months. That’s why I recommend travelers submit the ETIAS form as soon as their travel plans are made.
For more information on either the EES or the ETIAS, visit the EU’s official website, but be sure to go directly to the official website…don’t use a search engine like google to find it. Search engines will direct you to official-looking third-party websites that have paid to boost their listings above of the EU’s official link. These third-party sites are mostly benign, and using them to submit the ETIAS form will likely get you the needed approval. The downside of using them is they charge additional processing fees for a service you don’t need. If you can place an order on Amazon.com, you can fill out and submit the ETIAS travel request form without third party help. If you see a fee of more than 7 Euros, even if the website you are using looks official, it isn’t. Here is a link to the official EU website for more information on EES and the ETIAS.
One final note. Even though ETIAS stands for the “European Travel Information and Authorization System” nothing the EU does involves all of Europe. It doesn’t even involve all EU member nations since they have the option to opt out, and several have (Ireland and Denmark). Check the EU ETIAS website to verify whether the country you plan to visit is participating in the ETIAS program. If it isn’t, you don’t need to submit an ETIAS form, but you may need to apply for a visa.
And that's all I have to say about that.
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