For the past 3 years I’ve been writing about Europe’s plan to make Americans get a de facto visa for travel starting in 2021. Now that’s expected to come by the end of 2022. In fact I flagged it as likely back in 2016.
The U.S. makes Europeans apply online in advance for a $14 ‘ESTA’ which is electronic travel permission. The U.S. government claims this is not a visa (it applies to ‘visa waiver countries’). That’s a bit of sophistry. The in-person interview isn’t required, so it’s essentially an expedited visa that will be valid for 3 years.
So Schengen Europe will make Americans get an ‘ETIAS’ (“European Travel Information and Authorization System”) which is $7 electronic travel permission. Americans will apply online in advance and pay 7 euros, and this permission will be valid for 3 years. Just don’t call it a visa!.
This will cover travel to Germany, Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland (“Schengen Area”).
The program’s eventual passage entailed an odd combination of political forces:
- Anti-immigrant sentiment in Europe, a drive to close down Europe’s borders. This gives European governments control not just of who enters their countries but who is permitted to board planes heading there.
- Resentment against former President Trump over perceived anti-immigrant sentiment in the US, which drove Europe to seek reciprocity.
There’s literally pro- and anti- immigrant political forces coming together in some sense to impose restrictions on entering Europe which apply to U.S. citizens (and others).
Of course the game of tit-for-tat is far from over. Four years ago the US Secretary of Homeland Security said he wanted to revisit allowing Europeans to travel to the US with ‘only’ an ESTA. By the way the number of people killed by terrorists who entered the U.S. under the Visa Waiver Program is zero.
Ultimately imposing costs and barriers to travel and to the flow of goods and services and on human freedom. As far as burdens go, most folks are suggesting that the ETIAS process will be modest, although we’ll see how the technology works in practice and the quality of the data used in decision-making.
In the meantime there are several scam websites purporting to offer information about the ETIAS process. This is simply not something to worry about this year. Don’t apply for anything yet and don’t part with any funds.
Great idea. If it can all be handled with a computer, it’s a revenue-generator. That would be good, because it’s an absolutely useless idea. Love that part of the reason might be something Trump did. How did we get through life without that man to blame EVERYTHING on? Based on the success of the virus lockdown, we need more government controlling our lives, yes indeedy.
Stupid as fuck but ok.
Meanwhile the present administration brings into thousands of potentially positive Covid-19 undocumented immigrants and scatters them all over the country, Tell me again why, as a vaccinated American citizen, I have to provide a negative Covid test before entering my own country.
@Qinxuan Pan: curious why you say this but without that reply, the US must really be stupid as fk for implementing it first as well as the rest of the world with visa requirements.
I’m sure it will sadden many hearts to know that you can’t blame this on Trump. ESTA was authorized back in 2007 by the Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007 and was first brought into effect in early 2009. It has always annoyed Europeans and they have asked the US to remove it for years. Their program is a bureaucratic response to the US program that was going to happen no matter who was president if the US didn’t eliminate it. Now we all have to suffer because a couple dozen bureaucrats have jobs who depend on the program existing.
@Ray, visas, ESTAs, and similar bullshit are all just tourism taxes. Governments should stop wasting time getting creative like this and just impose taxes on airfare.
It’s just a tax. Like high taxes on rental cars at the airport. High taxes on hotel rooms. Just another way to extract more money from privileged travelers who don’t vote in local elections. It’s a no brainer for the politicians.
Gary Leff,
This one of the most Studip article i never read. This is just a travel tax ! There’s no resentment against Trump , it’s just a tax . Why shouldn’t Europe do the same thing as USA does? Just a travel tax , the same !
It is basically a money grab. The claim it is for their own security is nonsensical. There aren’t terrorists going from the US to europe. I could see if they came up with the idea during the pandemic because it would be a good way to screen out the anti-vaxxers, but they came up with this before that.
Note from uncle Joe to @ Bill – c’mon, people like you make us look bad. If there were no antivaxxers, could you actually complete a full sentence? Are you always miserable or only on Sundays? Gary and I both really want to know.
The anti immigration aspect of this doesn’t track. 90% of those visiting europe from the U.S. and those visiting the U.S. from Europe are White. These aren’t the people who threaten the genetic fabric of Europe or the U.S, commit a disproportionate amount of violent crime, and cause nothing but problems; that’s African/arab/south Asian immigrants who force their way into Europe and non white latinos and other groups who force their way into the U.S.
It’s an issue of the U.S. having this requirement and European countries reciprocating.
“I’m sure it will sadden many hearts to know that you can’t blame this on Trump.” Yeah, this came in under what’s his name, the guy with the unmasked superspreader birthday bash where no photos were allowed. But we have to find an “Its all Trump’s fault angle,” else some Democrats are gonna shake like Lemmings in a video game and self-explode.
To be fair, it passed on a bipartisan basis under Bush and was implemented under Obama.
Europeans pay US ESTA fees of European citizens by using the fees they charge Americans, so that it’s Americans that end up paying for US ESTA fees.
That would be poetically beautiful and completely just.
If they want revenue, wouldn’t it be easier to simply tack on a fee onto transatlantic fares? Passports get swiped when entering the schengen area. I’m sure there are already agreements in place to exchange passenger and passport info between the airlines and EU members. The airlines carry a large burden enforcing immigration laws. They’re subject to stiff penalties when they transport passengers without authorization or documentation. If the security objectives are already met, why bother with the extra step of making a reservation in advance?
@Jeff
There is an old Chinese saying that says “breaking the person’s rice bowl”…in other words taking their ability to get food, or as it might be used today, taking away a job. You just know there are likely scores of people involved in collecting this “fee”, costing the governments involved significant money. Take away the fee or meld it into the cost of the airline ticket…and there goes their rice bowl. Don’t like it and it doesn’t make practical sense, but it is not likely to change.
Typical government waste…
@Jackson Waterson
Hey Jack, didn’t you forget East Asians? I have an idea for you why don’t you put your White Ass on one of those 90 per cent white planes going to Europe and stay there. Waterson is probably English. White, stupid, and racist. Not at all surprising.
Anger, frustration, resentment, politics, racism, victimization. It all seems a bit overwrought when discussing a €2.33 (US$2.73) annual fee for a tourist card that one applies for once every three years.
If you don’t want to pay the fee then don’t travel to Europe. It’s that simple. It’s a visa fee no matter what they call it.
Yeah, Trumps fault. Especially the 26,200 undocumented individuals that came into Texas last month with no requirement for any US visa, virus vaccine, negative test or any thing else. I am sure NYC will immediately give them their “NYC vaccine passport” so they can get into the local supermarket otherwise it would be, of course, racist. And, speaking of racist, how is it not racist to make documented immigrants have to have the vaccine and/or negative tests to come back into the US? Or, how is it not racist to make air travelers from South America, Latin America, Asia or the Pacific islands have a negative test but not those walking across the border? Or how is it not racist to make legal air travelers from Spain (which is, BTW, “Hispanic”) have to pay for ETSA but not those walking across? You know the answer, it is “Trump.”
Just a note: last time my parents got an Esta it was for two years..I have not checked, but did that change to 3 years now?
On all the other stuff put down here I just have to add..we are going to hell in a handbasket..