In 2016, the European Union Commission had proposed to approve European Travel Information Authorization System. It means, Americans and other travelers of countries like Canada need ETIAS to visit European countries by 2021. But a huge percentage of the American population (41%) is still confused or do not know, what ETIAS actually is. Some of them think they need a visa to enter Europe in 2021.
There are various rumors and fake news on social media, printed media, and digital media about ETIAS. According to them, America and some other countries will have to pay money or need a visa to visit Europe. People are misguided by this fake and wrong news.
Although there has been a lot of fake news spreading continuously among the people, the European Union failed to do informative campaigns about the new scheme for travelers. The administration system of the EU made people confused about the new scheme.
So, what is the actual meaning of ETIAS, and who need this? This is a prescreening program for travelers who enter the European countries with the Visa-free program. It is not a visa, but is mandatory for all people who want to travel to Europe for up to 90 days under the Visa-free program. European countries have proposed this scheme to strengthen their borders and to prevent any infiltration across their territory.
An applicant or traveler has to fill a form to apply for ETIAS. He has to pay €7 one time for three years. The traveler will be permitted to enter Europe for as many time he or she wants. He only needs to follow Stay rules that fall under the new scheme. ETIAS is scheduled to implement from 1 January 2021. Till then, Europe goers need not follow it, but they should be aware of its future implementation.
