If you’re planning a trip to Europe this year, you’re not alone: Industry mavens are projecting a big year for transatlantic travel. For the most part, traveling to and within Europe is easy, but you need to know a bit before you leave.
Paperwork
Western Europe does not require any advance paperwork for visitors who aren’t looking for a job and plan to only stay less than three months. But that’s going to change before the end of the year, when a new requirement for an ETIAS Visa Waiver Application kicks in. Applying is easy: You can do it online and get an approval by email. Although nominally a security measure, the more cynical suspect that the main objective is either to collect the fee you have to pay or to retaliate for a similar U.S. requirement. ETIAS applies to the entire Schengen region. Your main worry is possible denial if you have an unpaid bill in Europe from a prior visit. Currently, the requirement is scheduled to go into effect in November, but postponement is possible. Check etias.us/application/ for details. The UK is cooking up a similar scheme, with details yet to come….