Want to see a show in the West End? You’ll soon need more than a passport and theater ticket. (Photo: Getty Images)
By Steve Dinnen
If you’re jetting off to London to catch some wintertime theater, take note that starting Jan. 8, you’ll need government preapproval to enter the country. And soon thereafter, 30 more European countries will launch their own visa-like program that requires preapproval to enter. The long-considered, oft-delayed European system, known as ETIAS (European Travel Information and Authorization System) is in response to global security concerns. A similar sentiment is guiding the United Kingdom.
Enrollment starts Nov. 27 for the UK’s system, known as ETA (electronic travel authorization). As the name implies, it’s all electronic. And it’s mandatory: no clearance, no admission. The government wants a minimal amount of information, such as a photo, and information page from your passport. The fee is 10 pounds, and the travel permit is good for two years.
On the continent, the scope of ETIAS mostly overlaps with the European Union, though it includes some countries that aren’t members. Of the 44 European countries in all, 27 are members of the EU, 30 participate in ETIAS, and 29 are enrolled in the Schengen system, the passport control process that requires travelers to have a visa to enter Europe. (Switzerland and Norway, for example, are not members of the EU but do participate in both ETIAS and Schengen). ETIAS applies to anyone from a country not needing a Schengen Zone visa, including Americans.
Bottom line: Everyone entering the Schengen Zone country will need either a Schengen visa or a mini-me ETIAS visa.
The Europeans also have an electronic application process. They claim an approval process of minutes, though they caution it could take up to 14 days or even a month “if you are invited in for an interview.” They also caution that they may ask about criminal history, drug use and health history. If you clear this gauntlet and pay a 7-euro fee, you’ll get a three-year admission authorization.
If you’d like to read the fine print, here’s more information for both the UK program and the broader ETIAS program.
Speaking of visas, they’re more readily available now than at any time in our history. Granted, Americans can travel visa-free to most of the world’s 197 countries. But sometimes you’ll need a visa, and we now have e-visas that are easily obtained online from countries like India or Uganda. Just upload your travel information and passport page and photo into their files and — voilà! — you’re ready to go. Some countries, like Jordan and Egypt, go a little easier and issue a VOA, a visa on arrival.
When you apply for that visa, be aware that some nations accept only “M” or “F” as a gender. And while the United States will give you a passport marked X, some nations, like Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, don’t and will not allow you to enter. They may not allow you even to pass through.
For a thorough rundown about whether you need a visa to visit a particular country, try the U.S. State Department website listing for the country you plan to visit, or check out CIBT Visas.
