EU confirms ETIAS launch for April 2023

EU confirms ETIAS launch for April 2023

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(CNN) — It’s finally here: the end of fee-free travel to the European Union.

The EU has announced the launch of its long-awaited visa waiver scheme, ETIAS, to debut in May 2023.

While ETIAS is not the same as a visa — it is quicker, done online, and requires no biometric information — there is still a procedure and a cost to acquiring it, rather like the United States’ scheme, ESTA.

ETIAS, which stands for European Travel Information and Authorization System, had previously been slated for a late 2022 debut.

EU travelers are exempt, and have freedom of movement around the bloc, allowing them to spend as much time as they want in many countries. EU residents will also be exempt.

But for everyone else entering the bloc from a country which didn’t previously require a visa, the ETIAS will be obligatory. The move affects around 60 countries including the US and the UK, which lost freedom of movement after Brexit. Nothing changes for those who previously needed a visa to enter.

The…

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