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Do I need A Visa?

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duckinade

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I'm trying to do a cross-year Camino. However, it looks like the new EU visa regulations for American citizens will kick in in the middle of my walk, and I'll go from not needing a visa to needing one. Does anyone know what to do about this? Currently my solution is to try and apply for an e-visa and have a printout, but I'm not sure whether I can get one before they kick in.
 
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This stuff has been in a state of flux for several years, so who knows, but it is nevertheless highly unlikely that you could be sanctioned for changes to entry conditions that would come into force after your entry.

As to a visa, I have found from past experience that to have one can be better than not.
 
I see, thanks. I'll try to get a Schengen visa, then- it's probably better to be safe than sorry in this case.
 
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The new rules will not require US passport holders to get a visa. After it goes into effect those who currently can enter without a visa and stay in the Schengen zone for 90 days will need to apply online for an ETIAS, which is an electronic travel authorization, not a visa. IMO applying for a visa is a waste of time and money because it will not be necessary.

Here's the official ETIAS site

ETIAS

Official EU website on ETIAS, the new travel authorisation for visa-exempt travellers to enter 30 European countries.
travel-europe.europa.eu
 
duckinade said:
it looks like the new EU visa regulations for American citizens will kick in in the middle of my walk, and I'll go from not needing a visa to needing one.
Click to expand...
Hi @duckinade! You plan to walk during December 2024 to January 2025. You have a US passport. Correct?

There is no new "EU visa regulation for American citizens". There will be no new regulation that will affect your trip to Spain, your trip in Spain, and your trip back home to the USA. You do not need to get a Schengen visa.

You heard something about the ETIAS system. ETIAS is not a visa. ETIAS will not be put in operation during the next 7 months (at least!!!)

Buen Camino!
 
If you are thinking that you will need a visa because of the new Entry/Exit System (EES), you will not. It's just a new way that people will be processed when entering the EU.

EES

European Entry/Exit System will register non-EU nationals each time they are visiting European countries. Travelers will be able to check the number of days they are allowed to stay in Europe. It will make passport control faster and will replace the need for passports to be stamped..
travel-europe.europa.eu
 
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I suppose, technically, ETIAS is not a visa.

But it is an additional step that seems to mimic the process of getting a visa. Which you possibly will be able to apply for an advance before you travel, a lot like getting a visa. And they can reject you if you don't have one or they don't like the information, a lot like a visa.

If it walks like a duck, and talks like a duck…

I remember my Dutch girlfriend had to get a "visa waiver" to come visit me in the United States. Which pretty much seemed like getting a visa…

Anyway, as was posted earlier, it is not in effect yet and we will see if it ever happens.
 
Well I guess it’s about magnitude from a consumer standpoint, irrespective of terminology. Certainly a UK citizen getting a USA visa is quite a process. Getting an ESTA is pretty easy! Even if you forget to apply like me and have to apply enroute, possible if crossing a land border, trickier if travelling by air!
 
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ETIAS is nothing like getting a visa! While it will be new to USA passport holders, it and similar programs have been in place for other nationalities to enter specific countries for a long time. it’s inexpensive and fast, does not require one to ship off their passport to a processing office, and won’t require interviews months before traveling. Please do not confuse people with equating the two.

As for the OP, this process has been delayed again and again, so it might not be in effect during that journey. If it is, it will be a simple process that can be handled while traveling. Put this worry on the shelf as one that may have to be addressed eventually, but is not an issue as if now.
 
I'm sorry to hear that. The process should be easier. I have a US passport and the hardest visa I ever applied for was to Indonesia (OMG that website!) and the easiest was Australia . It makes a difference to where I want to return in the future. Hopefully you enjoyed your US vacation.
 
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Did you get a full visa for Australia or an ETA?

The ETIAS will be like Canada's and Australia's ETA (Electronic Travel Authority) and the USA's ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorization). All of these are for short term (usually 90 day) stays, and the application can be done online in a few minutes, whereas applying for a full visa is a much more involved process and often allows longer term stays.
 
Vacajoe said:
ETIAS is nothing like getting a visa!
Click to expand...
Well, of course I agree it’s not as complicated as getting a full on longer stay visa with interviews, etc. But it’s an extra step you have to do besides just showing your passport to passport control.

I’ve gotten a visa to countries in Asia where I just got the visa at border control. It sounds like a similar process…..

And I give people the benefit of the doubt that they can figure out the situation for themselves and not be confused by my comment.
 
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If you get the ETIAS travel authorization you are a national of a friendly and privileged country that are apparently of good character and are thus allowed to get inside a border entry point where they can give entry approval (or not so don't annoy the immigration or custom agents). If you meet the above requirements except getting ETIAS authorization you get sent home (but do save the ETIAS fee and a few minutes of application time).

If you are from a not so privileged country you have to spend more money, trouble and time to get approval though a more thorough background check to get a visa that allows you to show up at a border entry point where they can give entry approval (or not so don't ...).
 
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Thank you but the process is incredibly easy, whether it’s ESTA, ETA, Australia or wherever. I have had many a visa application that involved going into London to be fingerprinted, and many land border crossings (visa or arrival) where you are into damage limitation financially! Different world entirely!

Re my forgetting to apply…It was maybe 2021 and I was staying in Monterrey, Mexico for a while. I just fancied going to USA for a day for a change of scenery. Just a day trip. I spent so much time doing my Covid forms that I totally forgot about ESTA, until the Greyhound agent mentioned it! I applied and was allowed to board the bus as it was stopping at Nuevo Laredo on the MX side. The road from Monterrey north is infamous for kidnappings (highway of death) so I was already nervous! Thankfully the ESTA came through about 10 minutes before I reached the border so had a lovely afternoon in Laredo, TX! If I had been flying from Monterrey to say IAH I wouldn’t have been able to board plane.
 
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Nothing like the ‘visa on arrival’ at SE Asia land borders. You need pre approval if you are flying and won’t be able to board without a valid approval.

But it’s quick and easy. Just be careful of the multiple agency’s trying to charge an additional fee. There are so many of them re ESTA and ETAs, and as unlikely as it seems quite a few people get conned!
 
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The UK is currently also introducing an ETA system - Electronic Travel Authorisation.

Americans, Australians, Canadians and nationals from numerous other countries can already apply for their ETA for their trip to the UK in 2025.

See this quote from a recent Euronews article which emphasises, too, that the UK’s ETA is not a visa:

Will I need a visa to enter the UK?​
The ETA isn't a visa but it does grant permission to enter the country.​
​
All visitors who currently don't have to apply for a visa will need to get an ETA before they travel. This includes those who do not currently need to make any form of application to visit the UK - meaning US, Canadian, Australian and European citizens will require an ETA even for short stays.​
​
Go to gov.uk to apply or download their app.
 
Some further explanation why an Electronic Travel Authorisation is not a visa, again from the British government and their own new ETA system:

What happens if someone is not able to obtain an ETA?​
  • If a person’s ETA application is rejected, they will be told the reason and can apply again.
  • If a person’s ETA application is refused, they cannot appeal and instead need to apply for a visa if they still wish to seek permission to come to the UK.
 
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I think other posters here have missed my point. My objection is a linguistic one.

visa /vē′zə/
noun
  1. An official authorization appended to a passport, permitting entry into and travel within a particular country or region.
I certainly understand that Europe and the United States and other countries who have additional steps are calling it something else besides a visa.

What I am saying, is this it that in the past you could show up with a at a border with your passport and that was enough. Now there's an extra step that foreigners have to do or you are not allowed to enter Schengen or the United States (and other countries/zones). If you don't have one, you can't even get on a plane?

It might be much easier to get than a traditional visa, but it's still behaving like one. And the appending to the passport may only be electronic. I would call it a visa-lite.

I think the USA, Schengen and Britain, etc. decided they wanted to have more control over who enters their countries and didn't want to piss off tourists or start visa wars so they called it something more palatable.

I'm not saying it's a bad idea, or especially difficult, but it is what it is. In my opinion.
 
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You got this text from the website www.etias.com - am I right? Because that’s what Google tells me. www.etias.com is not the official website. The official website is www.europa.eu/etias.

The quoted text sounded sloppy to me. I was curious to see that it is indeed on the official website. Apparently not. Or am I wrong?
 
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I could not find it on the official site so you’re probably right. My apologies.

I’ll delete that portion of my comment in case anybody ever reads it! Thank you.

But I still think it fits the definition of a visa. It’s an entrance visa. There are also work visas, longer stay visas, and partnership visas etc. It just is easier to get. The various countries and European Union didn’t want to use the word visa because that would’ve scared people away. I understand most people here disagree with me.
 
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Stephan the Painter said:
The various countries and European Union didn’t want to use the word visa because that would’ve scared people away
Click to expand...

The EU coined the name for their new system for traveller registration and authorisation in a similar way as those countries that have already implemented such a system. The EU just chose a more creative name for it. And a competitive fee, too.

See the list and compare:
  • USA: ESTA - Electronic System for Travel Authorization - $ 21
  • Canada: eTA - Electronic Travel Authorization - $7 CAD
  • UK: ETA - Electronic Travel Authorisation - £ 10
  • EU/Schengen: ETIAS - Electronic Travel Information and Authorisation System - € 7
The USA’s ESTA has been around for some 15 years. Airlines may get fined if they transport passengers under the VWP without an ESTA. The US model was the model for the EU and not systems that may have existed in Asian or African countries where you paid a small fee upon arrival at the airport and got a sticker or a stamp without your personal details being put into sophisticated databases - as it was done years ago or perhaps still happen today.
 
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Kathor1 said:
The EU just chose a more creative name for it. And a competitive fee, too.

See the list and compare:
...
* EU/Schengen: ETIAS - Electronic Travel Information and Authorisation System - € 7
Click to expand...

Even better, sometimes free:

"When applying using this official ETIAS website, you will be charged a fee of EUR 7. Applicants who are under 18 or over 70 years of age are exempt from this payment. Also exempt are family members of EU citizens and family members of non-EU nationals who have right to move freely throughout the European Union."

FAQs on ETIAS

Frequently asked questions about ETIAS
travel-europe.europa.eu
 
I’m aware of all of that. If you look at my original “visa” post you'll see that I said the US “visa waiver” program sounded like a visa to me. I had a Dutch girlfriend in the early 2000s who had to go to the Embassy to go to the her “visa waiver. “ I call extra forms and paperwork, digital or analog, that you have to fill out and submit along with a fee enter a foreign country a visa. I understand that they rebranded it.

Anyway, neither of the US program or the European ETIAS affect me because I have passports that let me bypass all of it.

We’re just going to have to agree to disagree and I’m going to un-watch this post.
 
I am not posting to win points or because I need to show that I know better. It is because I feel that we should strive for clear language and clear information for the benefit of those who are unfamiliar with Schengen entry requirements that apply to them and who are maybe even unfamiliar with the ins and outs of international travel.
 
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And importantly, this thread's OP, @duckinade will need neither a visa or an ETIAS (which isn't yet available) to enter the EU in December or to continue the Camino into 2025.
 
I understand your point and have enjoyed your posts.

Not sure why your girlfriend had to go to the Dutch Embassy to get her waiver and as you say go through the visa process. In fact I am suprised they issue a ‘waiver’ at the embassy.

For Americans who this means nothing to, up until ESTA was introduced, citizens of many countries could enter the USA by filing in the ‘I94’ green form, as long as you could answer the questions asked in the positive. The form was generally given out by crew.

I still remember it, as was a regular visitor back then, but mainly because there was a question about ‘committing acts of moral turpitude’ a word I have never heard before, since, or even heard an American use, and seen in TV.
 
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TravellingMan22 said:
I still remember it, as was a regular visitor back then, but mainly because there was a question about ‘committing acts of moral turpitude’ a word I have never heard before, since, or even heard an American use, and seen in TV.
Click to expand...
Not strictly relevant to this thread, but "moral turpitude" is one of my favorite phrases. I like it because it feels like it implies that the person that you're talking about is a bad person, in the same way that beige is a bad coulour to paint the entire inside of your house.
 
It’s a great phrase!!! I have just never seen it used anywhere else ever! I’m from the UK btw! And it always reminds me of the green I94 form!

Is it common in the USA?
 
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AFAIK and AFAII, if you entered the Schengen-Area without a Visa / ETIAS waiver, you are free to roam for 90 days. This freedom isn't touched by any changes in laws while doing so.
 
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