If you didn’t know, new rules for entering the EU and the UK are due to come into force soon, making it compulsory for third country nationals to obtain prior authorisation.
So much for the theory, in practice the two projects are experiencing different fortunes.
An authorisation is not a visa!
Before going any further, there is a term that needs to be clarified: electronic travel authorisation, better known by the acronym ETA.
This is a formality introduced in many countries to simplify immigration controls on arrival, reducing the number of refusals of entry to a territory (and the associated costs).
The principle is simple: an individual applies for an authorisation online by providing a certain amount of information and on the basis of this an authorisation for a defined period is granted. This does not mean 100% that once they arrive they will not be turned away for whatever reason but the risk of this happening is drastically reduced.
The best example of ETA has been made mandatory in the US since 2009. In short, it replaces the green card you used to fill in when you arrived, it is valid for 2 years and…costs $21. If the traveller’s profile is at risk, its preliminary nature makes it possible to investigate before travelling, but we will talk about these processes another time.
But contrary to popular belief, an ETA is not a Visa. It is not a new and additional formality (it is just done online before leaving instead of on paper when arriving) and, depending on the country or the reasons for the trip, it is added to the visa when the latter is necessary.
If I take the example of the USA, Europeans could benefit from a visa exemption but had to fill in the famous green card, now it is done online and the visa exemption remains, these are two different things.
An authorisation to travel to the UK
An ETA is to be set up in the United Kingdom with a view to the complete digitalisation of its borders. It is expected to be operational by the end of 2023.
It will affect anyone who has so far been able to travel to the UK without a visa (duration of stay from 180 days to 6 months) or with a visa (valid for 2 years).
The information collected will be name, passport number, email address and a credit card (although the formality is free) and travel information.
Much remains to be clarified, but while the US ETA is valid for two years, for the UK it will be necessary to reapply for each trip.
Nevertheless, the signals are green and it seems that the system will be operational at the scheduled time.
Entry/Exit to the European Union (SEA): delays are accumulating
Europe has announced the EES (Entry/Exit System) with a view to digitalising border operations and improving entry controls.
The scheme is in fact twofold.
On the one hand there is the European ETA (ETIAS for European Travel Information and Authorisation System) which operates on the same principle as the American ETA but with a 3 years validity allowing you to stay for a period of maximum duration of 90 days per 180-day period during which you can come and go as you please (different conditions for visa holders of course).
On the other hand, there is the EES, which is a digitised data collection and processing process at borders, eliminating the need to stamp passports, for example.
In theory, the two schemes go hand in hand and should come into force in… 2022. Given the difficulty of implementing the project, it has been postponed to May 2023 and then recently to the end of 2023! This suggests that further postponements are not to be excluded.
Why these delays?
National authorities are slow in setting up the system, there is a lack of properly trained staff, airports and airlines lack resources to implement the new procedures and there is a lack of real communication on the subject to passengers from third part countries.
Given the difficulty for states to agree on such issues and the systematic lack of resources in the sector, the end of 2023 remains a very optimistic date.
Bottom line
The UK and EU are digitising border processes and will require prior authorisation for travel. But if in the case of the UK the agenda seems to be respected, the EU is accumulating delays and nothing says that the new deadline (end 2023) will be respected.
Image : border control by EQRoy via Shutterstock.
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