Updated: EU To Require Electronic Travel Authorization [ETIAS] for non-EU citizens
#272
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: From ORK, live LCY
Programs: BA Silver, EI Silver, HH Gold, BW Gold, ABP, Seigneur des Horaires des Mucci
Posts: 14,216
I see no reason why US passport holders specifically would be exempted from ETIAS.
There's a non-zero chance that ETIAS won't go live at all due to the inability of the Schengen states to get their collective s**t together, but that is rather different.
Being a spouse of a US citizen carries no extra privileges with respect to admission to the EU. The spouse would require a visa or not based on their own nationality.
There's a non-zero chance that ETIAS won't go live at all due to the inability of the Schengen states to get their collective s**t together, but that is rather different.
Being a spouse of a US citizen carries no extra privileges with respect to admission to the EU. The spouse would require a visa or not based on their own nationality.
#273
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2000
Posts: 15,347
Spouse from where? Without a specific nationality this is moot!
If you read above, my contention is that if the US allows another country or 2 into VWP ETIAS might not happen for US passport holders, that is my opinion.......we'll see.
If you read above, my contention is that if the US allows another country or 2 into VWP ETIAS might not happen for US passport holders, that is my opinion.......we'll see.
#274
Join Date: Mar 2022
Posts: 92
simplesnow, I think you are way overthinking this, as the situation is no different than someone who holds a US passport and who holds a passport of another country that they would need a visa to normally visit. Your online check in means little, and you would do so with the least problematic one, and then at the airport when one is asked, "Do you have a visa for (insert country), you will say, no I have a passport/residence card or whatever, show it, and then you are on your way.
ETIAS will result in ETIAS-exempted US passport users being more often required to manually check-in at the non-Schengen airports than is currently the case. US-EU dual-citizens will also have that issue more often in the future as a result of ETIAS than is currently the case for flights from non-Schengen airports to the Schengen area.
US passport users will generally be required to have an ETIAS approved in order to fly to the Schengen area. There will be no general exemption for US passport users.
US passport users will generally be required to have an ETIAS approved in order to fly to the Schengen area. There will be no general exemption for US passport users.
#275
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2000
Posts: 15,347
I guess the best answer is that no one knows for sure yet. But I cannot imagine that it will effect online check-in, as online check in is normally not effected in the other direction for those with ESTA, nor those that need visas.
#276
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: SFO
Programs: AS 75K (OW), SK Silver (*A), UR, MR
Posts: 3,347
If you’re the spouse or core family member of an EU citizen, you still need a short-stay Visa (which has a duration of stay of maximum 90 days) because the EU authorities must ensure that you are legally entering the Schengen Area.
#277
Suspended
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Watchlisted by the prejudiced, en route to purgatory
Programs: Just Say No to Fleecing and Blacklisting
Posts: 102,095
For US-Schengen trips, online check-in problems and even in-person check-in problems are already more likely to hit ordinary US passport users exempted from 90 stay limits in the Schengen area than they are to hit typical US tourists subject to the 90 day stay limits within rolling 180 day periods in the Schengen zone. ETIAS will make this more of an issue for various categories of US citizens exempted from the 90 day stay limit in the Schengen zone.
US dual-citizens won’t be the only ones whose travels are to be hit more often by hiccups because of ETIAS. It will also affect a variety of other US ordinary passport users not subject to 90 stay limits in the Schengen area.
ETIAS-exempted US passport users may be able to apply for ETIAS to be affiliated with at least most US passports. But there could be some situations where ETIAS approval would be denied or revoked but the US passport user remains exempt from ETIAS — this too could lead to some problems for some US passport users formally exempted from ETIAS.
With regard to this language
it isn’t the case for US and other countries’ passport users where a visa isn’t required if visiting the Schengen area for 90 days or less within a rolling 180 day period:
US spouses and dependent children of EU citizens who visit Schengen countries for less than 90 days within any rolling 180 day period can enter the Schengen area without a short-stay visa for ordinary tourism, business travel and VFR visits.
US dual-citizens won’t be the only ones whose travels are to be hit more often by hiccups because of ETIAS. It will also affect a variety of other US ordinary passport users not subject to 90 stay limits in the Schengen area.
ETIAS-exempted US passport users may be able to apply for ETIAS to be affiliated with at least most US passports. But there could be some situations where ETIAS approval would be denied or revoked but the US passport user remains exempt from ETIAS — this too could lead to some problems for some US passport users formally exempted from ETIAS.
With regard to this language
If you’re the spouse or core family member of an EU citizen, you still need a short-stay Visa (which has a duration of stay of maximum 90 days) because the EU authorities must ensure that you are legally entering the Schengen Area.
US spouses and dependent children of EU citizens who visit Schengen countries for less than 90 days within any rolling 180 day period can enter the Schengen area without a short-stay visa for ordinary tourism, business travel and VFR visits.
Last edited by GUWonder; Feb 6, 2023 at 10:03 am
#278
Join Date: Mar 2022
Posts: 92
For US-Schengen trips, online check-in problems and even in-person check-in problems are already more likely to hit ordinary US passport users exempted from 90 stay limits in the Schengen area than they are to hit typical US tourists subject to the 90 day stay limits within rolling 180 day periods in the Schengen zone. ETIAS will make this more of an issue for various categories of US citizens exempted from the 90 day stay limit in the Schengen zone.
US dual-citizens won’t be the only ones whose travels are to be hit more often by hiccups because of ETIAS. It will also affect a variety of other US ordinary passport users not subject to 90 stay limits in the Schengen area.
US dual-citizens won’t be the only ones whose travels are to be hit more often by hiccups because of ETIAS. It will also affect a variety of other US ordinary passport users not subject to 90 stay limits in the Schengen area.
#279
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2000
Posts: 15,347
You guys thing that ESTA is so automatic and online? 8 out of 10 times that I have witnessed people are asked to show their ESTA at check in or the gate when boarding despite it supposedly being automatic and automated, it perhaps adds a few seconds to the passport check that they regularly perform anyway, so I cannot imagine that it will be a huge problem in the other direction. Regarding the whole "spouse" thing, please refer to what GU wrote above.
#280
Suspended
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Watchlisted by the prejudiced, en route to purgatory
Programs: Just Say No to Fleecing and Blacklisting
Posts: 102,095
Imagine how crazy the check-in lines are going to get at airports as a result. They really need to address this and it's very easy to do so. For dual citizens, if you simply allow the online check-in system to support multiple passports, it can streamline that verification. It's unbelievable that in the year 2023, it's still not possible to do this. You are going to have airline reps working much longer to verify something that can be so easily verified online, it's a waste of money and resources for the airlines.
#282
Join Date: Mar 2022
Posts: 92
Airlines got into the business of remote/online verification of meeting COVID requirements. They can do the same thing with regard to remote/online verification of other documents evidencing exemption from ETIAS. But as a very frequent TATL traveler during the most locked down periods of the pandemic and thereafter, my experiences with that inform me to expect there to be mess-ups with ETIAS exemption verification for OLCI.
#283
Suspended
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Watchlisted by the prejudiced, en route to purgatory
Programs: Just Say No to Fleecing and Blacklisting
Posts: 102,095
For sure, and I feel like the mess ups will be more on the American to EU side rather than EU to American side since the airlines/airports are already used to the American ESTA verification for some time already. It might be worth buying my ticket for US-EU trips with my EU passport details for the first couple years of ETIAS until they sort it out lol I'll just be missing out on my reward miles.
#284
Join Date: Mar 2022
Posts: 92
You may have to because of ETIAS if wanting to simplify OLCI. Your kind of situation with the name dynamic across passports is also why some US-EU citizens have either set up dual FFP accounts in some programs or opened accounts in a different FFP than would otherwise be the case.
Miles transfers cost $7.50 USD* per 500 miles
*Plus, a processing fee of $30.00 per transaction.
*Plus, a processing fee of $30.00 per transaction.
#285
Suspended
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Watchlisted by the prejudiced, en route to purgatory
Programs: Just Say No to Fleecing and Blacklisting
Posts: 102,095
Yeah I've been thinking I will just set up a separate FFP account for my EU passport. With United for instance, you can actually transfer miles from another account, there's just a transaction fee, so I can transfer the miles I accumulate on my EU passport account to the main US one which has more miles, so it's not too bad. From United:
It's a bit of a hefty fee, but hey at least I can accumulate most of the miles in one account and simplify my OLCI for EU trips. It's the price I pay for my name dynamic but when ETIAS comes live I'll try one time buying it with my US passport and seeing how much trouble it is with airline rep, maybe it's not as bad as I fear.
It's a bit of a hefty fee, but hey at least I can accumulate most of the miles in one account and simplify my OLCI for EU trips. It's the price I pay for my name dynamic but when ETIAS comes live I'll try one time buying it with my US passport and seeing how much trouble it is with airline rep, maybe it's not as bad as I fear.