Cracking Down on Fake News: ETIAS Travel Authorization for EU Does Not Become Mandatory on January 1, 2023

As the deadline for the European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS) to become required for travellers from about 60 nations visiting the European Union and Schengen Area countries approaches, the number of false reports concerning the new scheme grows.

Several online media outlets, including some well-known and widely-read foreign outlets, have recently stated that the ETIAS will become necessary on January 1, 2023, generating uncertainty among travellers who will require the ETIAS.

The assertion is false, since the ETIAS is not due to go into force until the beginning of the fifth month of 2023, on May 1, according to etiasvisatoeu.com.

“The system is being developed by the European Agency for the operational administration of large-scale IT systems in the areas of freedom, security, and justice (eu-LISA). ETIAS is scheduled to become live in May 2023. “The ETIAS Regulation allows for transitional measures to enable a smooth system deployment,” the European Commission notes in a notification about the ETIAS and the day it becomes operational.

The ETIAS was supposed to go into effect in 2022, but it was pushed out to the end of this year, and now it will be required for all travellers on May 1, 2023.

It is predicted that over 1.4 billion visitors from over 60 countries having visa-free travel arrangements with the EU will need to get the ETIAS before entering the Schengen Area.

“About 1.4 billion individuals from over 60 countries benefit from visa-free travel to the European Union,” the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) stated in a news statement released at the end of last year.

Americans, British citizens, Canadians, Albanians, Emiratis, and others will be subject to the ETIAS requirement in nine months.

According to etiasvisatoeu.com, the ETIAS authorisation application procedures would be straightforward and rapid. Travelers must fill out an online form with details about their identification, travel plans, and background security.

All they have to do is provide a scanned copy of their passport as well as a digital biometric picture. A charge of €7 is required, which must be paid online. Travelers are not needed to visit an embassy, produce fingerprints, or attend an interview, however such actions may be necessary in exceptional and extremely unusual circumstances.

Any tourist who acquires an ETIAS will be allowed to use it for three years or until their passport expires, whichever comes first.

Travelers will get their ETIAS confirmation email in the email address they supplied throughout the application process. While travelling to the Schengen Area, the confirmation should be carried in digital or printed form and submitted to border agents if necessary.

The EU Commission has verified to SchengenVisaInfo.com that the official ETIAS website does not yet exist, despite several websites purporting to be it, or at least looking to be legitimate, and therefore confounding many passengers.