The Schengen Area was established first in the year 1995. This is the border comprised of 26 nations that live by a single jurisdiction whenever it comes to dealing with the travel issues, meaning that as they are a part of one border so there’s a same set of rules that get applied to all the 26 nations. All these 26 countries are part of Europe. And as Europe is going with the new travel regulation, the same regime will be applied to these countries too.
The continent of Europe has a total number of 44 countries, from which Schengen Map consists of 26 European countries. Along with acting as a single jurisdiction, they have also officially abolished the need for all passports and the need for other travel documents needed by the foreign visitors at their mutual borders. The Schengen Border has a population of 400 million.
The European Union has recently introduced a new travel regime and all the 26 countries of the Schengen border will have to follow it as well. The new travel regulation by the European Union is called ETIAS. ETIAS is a new visa-waiver to ensure the safety of the borders and to give the visitors a hassle-free journey. The full form of ETIAS is European Travel Information and Authorization System.
In the eyes of the airport security, there are two types of non-European citizens visiting the country, first is those who belong to the countries that do not need a visa to travel in the continent of Europe and second is those for whom the visa is compulsory. The concept of ETIAS will be applied to first one and the second kind will remain unaffected.
To enter the Schengen zone, the ETIAS will work as the Schengen Visa for the eligible citizens and you will be granted permission to visit the Schengen area countries on the basis of that. There are a total of 62 countries (These countries include New Zealand, Australia, Canada, and the United States) in the world that do not need a visa to enter the European countries that also include countries belonging to the Schengen Border Area.
The 26 countries falling under the Schengen Border Area are namely, Spain, Denmark, Italy, Sweden, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Finland, Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Greece, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, and Switzerland. It is the policy of the European Union and the Schengen Border countries have open boundary area.
The proposal has already passed in the month of November in 2018 but they will be applied from the beginning of 2021.
The validity of your ETIAS will be 3 years from the date of issue but please note that it will expire as soon as your passport will expire. ETIAS will permit you to stay in any of these European countries for a period of three months without having a visa. They can only be used to stay in these countries if you are visiting with the purpose of travel, business, transit or medical. However, you can not use your ETIAS to stay on the continent for job or education purposes.
The new waiver program is very reassuring for travelers who frequent in Europe.
Yes indeed. We look forward to the best effects as a result of this regulation which can help genuine visitors while driving away the ill ones.