Measure comes into force in 2020, aims to increase security in Europe and applies to citizens of countries that can travel to the continent without a consular visa
It will be a bit more expensive and complicated to travel to countries in the European Union. Soon, Brazilians interested in visiting Rome, Paris, or Berlin will be required to apply for an online travel authorization to enter the European Area of Free Movement (the so-called "Schengen Area") and pay a fee of 5 euros (about 31 reais) per person.
The mechanism, called Etias (European Travel Information and Authorization System), is an attempt by Brussels to increase security on European Union territory against terrorist threats and illegal immigration.
The system was approved at the end of April by the European Parliament and the European Council, which reached an agreement on the new travel information and authorization system for citizens of countries outside Europe who do not need visas to travel to the European Union – – among them, Brazil, United States, Canada, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Israel and Argentina.
Today, Brazilian tourists who want to travel to European Union countries only need to present a valid Brazilian passport upon arrival at the airport –– in addition to possibly answering some questions about the purpose of their trip and proving that they have travel insurance and sufficient funds for their stay –– receiving an entry stamp on the spot that replaces an entry visa, is valid for up to ninety days, and allows free movement throughout the Schengen Area.
When ETIAS comes into effect, it will be necessary to fill out an online form with the visitor's personal data, passport, and previous travel history at least 96 hours before departure to the EU –– and pay the 5 euro fee, regardless of whether authorization is granted or not.
“Authorization to enter the Schengen Area will be sent directly by email, and this will greatly facilitate controls at airports, reducing queues, for example,” an employee of the European Union Delegation in Brazil explained to the report.
How will Etias work?
According to her, the information presented in each form will be analyzed using the European Union's own databases, as well as international data systems such as Interpol, to determine whether there are valid reasons to reject authorization to enter Europe.
Among the reasons that may veto travel authorization are the presence of the candidate's name on a “no fly list” (a list of people prohibited from flying due to involvement with international terrorism or criminal convictions), as well as those suspected of criminal activities or related to terrorism, as well as previous immigration violations in Europe, such as having worked without authorization, having stayed on the continent illegally or having been previously deported by an EU country.
In the absence of elements that prevent entry or that require further analysis, authorization will be automatically granted within a few minutes and will be valid for up to three years.
“Etias will be an important system for protecting the European Union’s external borders, as it will prevent the entry of anyone who poses a threat to European citizens,” explained the bloc official. “We anticipate that 95% of demands will be authorized automatically, 4% will have to be analyzed calmly [and authorized or denied manually] and 1% will be blocked.”
Etias is scheduled to come into force in 2020. Brazilian tourists who also have the nationality of a European country do not need to worry: a valid European passport entitles them to entry into member countries of the European Economic Area (EEA) –– which comprises the European Union and, crucially, the Schengen Area, which will require Etias –– without any other requirements.
Anyone traveling to EEA countries that are not part of the Schengen Area –– Croatia, Bulgaria, Romania, Cyprus, Ireland and the United Kingdom –– will also not need Etias. However, if you then intend to enter a Schengen country, you must obtain prior authorization, which may be necessary even for those who only make a stopover to change planes in European territory, even if the traveler does not intend to stay on the continent.
The system will work in a very similar way to Esta (Electronic Travel Authorization System), the prior travel authorization model for citizens of countries that do not require a visa for the United States (which includes most European Union countries, as well as some countries in Asia and Oceania, in addition to Chile, Canadian citizens also do not need a prior visa to enter the United States, but, unlike the others, they also do not need to obtain an Esta).
Americans insist that their system is not equivalent to obtaining a visa or an electronic visa, as it is fast, cheap (14 dollars for two years of validity), less bureaucratic and issued almost instantly to the majority of those who require authorization. before traveling towards American territory.
(Art/SEE)
Among the other countries that implement a similar system are Australia–– a pioneer in innovation back in the 90s, with its so-called ETA (Electronic Travel Authorization, costing 20 Australian dollars and valid for one year), for countries that do not require a visa for the country, except European citizens (who can obtain a similar authorization called an eVisitor, at no cost) and New Zealand citizens who do not need prior authorization––, Sri Lanka, and, more recently, Canada.
Europeans say, however, that this is not a European response to the Washington system. “Etias is a completely autonomous system, which aims to guarantee greater security for passengers and European citizens”, explains the EU official.
By Carlo Cauti / Veja
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