You may have noticed more and more countries are asking travellers to register their personal details before arrival. There is nothing scary about that - Canada has been doing it for years.
Here is a summary of changes to entry requirements in the UK and Europe.
UK ETA
The United Kingdom Electronic Travel Authorisation (UK ETA) is a digital permit required for citizens of many countries (including the US and Canada) to travel to the UK. It supports a range of short visits, lasting up to six months, including tourism, visiting family and friends, business activities, or short-term study.
The application process for the UK ETA is fully online, and once approved, it is digitally linked to the applicant’s passport. This eliminates the need for extra documents to confirm its validity. Travellers with an approved UK ETA only need to present their passport at UK entry points, ensuring a smooth entry process.
Important to know is that the approval of your application can take several business days, so you cannot apply at the last minute.
European EES
The European Entry/Exit System (EES) is an automated IT system designed to register non-EU nationals travelling for short stays each time they cross the external borders of any European country participating in the system. Participating countries at the time of writing are Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.
A ‘short stay’ is defined as up to 90 days within any 180-day period. The system will collect personal data and fingerprints. It will come into effect some time in 2025, although its introduction has been postponed many times before.
European ETIAS
Starting six months after the implementation of the Entry/Exit System (EES), approximately 1.4 billion travellers from over 60 visa-exempt countries (including the US and Canada) will need a travel authorisation to enter those same 30 European countries for short stays.
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