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EU version of ESTA launched by next year
Currently, we can travel to the EU without any paperwork apart from a stamp on your passport. However, the EU has always said they were planning a US ESTA-style electronic approval system for travel from outside the EU. They have now announced more details of the system which will be launched before the end of 2022. The system is called ETIAS.
ETIAS will be compulsory for all 18-70-year-olds and must be applied for before travel takes place or at kiosks at land borders. It is expected that the application would be authorised in a matter of minutes, except in rare cases. Luckily if you travel a lot you only have to get one every 3 years which makes it easier.
The official announcement said: “Visa-exempt non-EU nationals will only need a few minutes to fill in an online application which in a vast majority of cases (expected to be over 95%) will result in automatic approval.
“The process will be simple, fast and affordable: the ETIAS authorisation will cost €7, which will be a one-off fee and will be valid for three years and for multiple entries.”
Non-EU nationals who do not need a visa to travel to the Schengen area i.e. the UK will have to apply for a travel authorisation through the ETIAS system prior to their trip. The ETIAS countries that will require travellers to have an EU travel authorisation will be those that are currently full EU Schengen States, as well as countries that are European Free Trade Association (EFTA) Members and European Microstates.
The map shows the countries included:
Hong Kong allows vaccinated travellers to enter with a catch or 3
More and more countries are beginning to take a more pragmatic stance on Covid travel regulations as they realise they can’t stay closed forever and Covid will now be endemic. Most countries are sensibly waiting until a certain proportion of their population is vaccinated. Hong Kong has been one of the most cautious countries with a 21-day quarantine in place for unvaccinated travellers and restrictions on which countries can enter.
From 9 August the rules are changing to allow fully vaccinated people from amber countries to enter. Only fully vaccinated Hong Kong residents are allowed to board flights for Hong Kong from high-risk places. For medium-risk places, only Hong Kong residents and fully vaccinated non-Hong Kong residents are allowed to board flights for Hong Kong, so it’s a step forward that you would at least be able to fly to Hong Kong if you needed to. Unfortunately, you have to quarantine for 7 days and take an antibody test issued by a laboratory recognised by the Hong Kong Government within the past 3 months as well.
You would expect that 7 day period to diminish to something more reasonable as they vaccinate more people, but currently only 33% of their population have been vaccinated.
Virgin Atlantic is due to resume its service to Hong Kong in September and will now use its A350 with the Upper Class Suite rather than the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner they used before.
I think there is very little chance of Hong Kong being open to the UK with no quarantine until the end of the year, but at some point, countries will have to open borders.
You can still transit Hong Kong airport though if you want to fly Cathay Pacific. Passengers will be able to transit through Hong Kong if:
- Their itinerary is contained in a single booking;
- They meet the entry requirements of their final destination;
- They have their baggage checked through to the final destination;
- They have been issued their onward boarding pass(es) from their origin; and
- The connection time between flights is within 24 hours.
1 comment
What happens about the need for an ETIAS if you’re over 70?
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