Exactly - the title and the article is incorrect. Americans will still be afforded a visa-on-arrival for tourism and other approved short term stays. Additionally, the authorization is valid for three years and can be used for multiple stays within the EEA. I believe the UK is also implementing an ETA (edit, maybe I got the acronym right this time), but I think it is only valid for two years at a time.
In a way it's silly, but it also reduces that chance of a disruption/entry denial at the entry point to the Area.
I know how boarder checks work. And I know that the schengen area has the best border crossings.
I want more schengen. The US and Canada should make their own north american schengen area, it will cut down on so much unnecessary government expenditure.
I think a key benefit here is that the pre-registration allows for faster processing at the border itself, cutting down on queues at the airport. Singapore runs a system where after preregistration you can just walk through an automated (though somewhat finicky) scanner. No queues after arrival, I basically stepped off the international flight and went straight to the city with barely a wait.
The Schengen area (which has common visa rules) is not the same as the EU. Those four countries are part of the Schengen agreement even though they are not in the EU. Conversely, Ireland is not included because although it is an EU member, it is not in the Schengen zone.
The EU is a very complicated thing.. You're looking for the Schengen countries (inside the yellow line). Romania. Bulgaria, Croatia and Cyprus are the four non-Schengen countries that have also opted in.
Saw people freaking out on FB about this and how “I guess Europe doesn’t want tourism!” I don’t think $8 is going to be a barrier for entry on a $1000 flight…
Also people saying "Europe is charging Americans a fee to enter" when really they're charging all non-Europeans. Typical American conservative self-victimization.
No. They'll need to fill out a form online before they go. Europe is only requiring this because the US has forced similar bullshit on Europeans for years cos "terrorism".
Even domestically, Americans hate this crap. No one likes the TSA. No one thinks they do a goddamned thing. It's a massive invasion of privacy and a huge waste of money. And then we have this "Real ID" thing looming over us just to get on an airplane (again, for a domestic flight only).
You'd think we could unite against such a simple common enemy but apparently no one has the time. I guess politicians are worried about a sudden glut of unemployed TSA workers who's only job skills are identifying the water bottle I forgot in my bag.
All the security theater around borders and flights needs to end. Open all boarders and make boarding a plane as simple as boarding a train. Also remove Karma from all of lemmy!
It's not a visa but an ESTA. The visa is still granted on the fly on entry.
The U.S. require the same the other way around, only the one granted by the EU is $10 cheaper and valid for 3 years instead of 2, so still U.S. citizens get an advantage
EU citizens (like all other non-immigrants) have to, as far as I understand, disclose all their social media accounts when applying for a US visa
What if applicants participate in multiple online platforms? Are they being asked to list all of their handles, or only one?
Applicants must provide all identifiers used for all listed platforms.
I reached that document via https://www.ustraveldocs.com/de/de-gen-faq.asp#qlistgen21 ("Apply for a U.S. Visa in Germany") and didn't find any hint for exemptions for German citizens or E U citizens, so I assume it applies. (But I might still be wrong.)
Genuine question, how the heck do people who have a ton of social media accounts (some for a business, some for different topics, some they haven't used in ages and maybe forgot about or lost the login for) actually list them all? If it were me, depending on the platforms required, I don't even know where I'd begin. I very well might genuinely forget one I made 3 years ago, used for a month, and abandoned.
It's just part of a larger expansion of a program that simply happens to include Americans. I really don't think they care about us that much; we're not that special.
Seems like it's more so covering the costs of doing automated background checks or something like that. Like making sure you aren't on any bad lists so they can prevent you from arriving instead of having to deal with you when you're already there.
It's not technically a visa, Americans are still granted that upon arrival it seems.