At the end of 2022, a decisive change will come into effect for travelers who have been able to enter the Schengen area without a visa up to now. Anyone wishing to enter the Schengen area from this date will need a so-called ETIAS. Similar to ESTA in the USA, ETIAS is a simple way to control travel within the borders of the Schengen area. The Schengen area includes most EU countries. If you are on vacation in Italy, you will come across a state where Italian is spoken, but which is not part of Italy, San Marino.

Until ETIAS is established in the Schengen area and the first travelers with the permit can cross the borders, some preparations are necessary. Especially the development of the necessary infrastructure and databases may still take some time. Now, of course, the question arises whether the Covid-19 pandemic will cause a shift in the schedule. Forecasts for the future are difficult and nobody can predict how the pandemic will develop.

 Many processes can be developed contactless at ETIAS

The ETIAS visa, introduced at the end of 2022, will not render the other entitlements obsolete. ETIAS is a useful addition to the existing regulations. Those who have required a Schengen visa up to now will continue to require this entry permit. The situation is different for travelers who were previously able to enter the Schengen area without any major effort. These require an ESTA permit. However, the system is simple and the work involved is minimal.

The ETIAS entry permit currently only exists on paper. Many considerations have been made, which are more or less concrete. Again and again the question arises whether this plan can be kept at all. Although it is still more than two years until ETIAS becomes mandatory for tourists, a postponement of the schedule is of course always possible. Especially the Corona crisis is a circumstance that nobody could have expected.

 Many decisions have already been made