There’s good news and there’s bad news for Americans heading to Europe next year.
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The bad news: the European Union changed its laws to require Americans to obtain visas or visa waivers to enter the EU.
The good news: the updates have been delayed until 2025.
So, what does this mean for Americans heading to Europe? Most travelers are hung up on complex Schengen laws and political boundaries. But, starting in 2025, we’ll also be required to pay for a visa before arriving or show proof of a visa waiver. (Most will be doing the latter.)
Now that things are slated for change, it’s the perfect time to review the differences between Europe the continent, the European Union, and the Schengen Zone. Then we’ll dive into the nitty-gritty of what the new visa requirements entail.
Differentiating the EU from Schengen
Let’s simplify all of this. Europe is a continent. (Yes, Turkey is counted as part of Europe.) The European Union, on the other hand, is a political union between certain European countries.
There are 27 countries in the European Union, including Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Republic of Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.
Some notable exemptions from the EU are Norway, Iceland, and Switzerland. But let’s be clear: the EU does not correlate directly to Schengen. The Schengen Zone is a group of countries that have abolished their borders, meaning you can cross them freely.
However, Ireland and Cyprus are not part of Schengen. That won’t change much on your trip – but you’ll need to go through customs when you travel to and from other EU countries. Similarly, the non-EU members of Norway, Iceland, and Switzerland are part of Schengen. The UK is not part of either the EU or Schengen. (More on this below.)
2025 visa requirements
The European Union recently created a visa program aimed at Americans. Starting in 2025, we will be legally required to apply for and receive a visa or an exemption from one before traveling to the EU.
Visa applications will be managed by the European Travel Information and Authorization System—which will have a handy online form for you to fill out. This form isn’t actually a visa, but an exemption from one. It proves that you meet the requirements to not need a visa.
The form will take only a few minutes to complete and will incur a small fee of $7.50. You must present this form when entering all EU countries, plus the Schengen members of Iceland, Norway, and Switzerland.
In summary: the EU is updating its entry requirements. Starting in 2025, Americans must present a visa or the ETIAS visa waiver upon entry. This shouldn’t be a problem for the vast majority of tourists, as they won’t be staying more than 90 days.
How does Brexit fit into this?
In case you didn’t hear, the UK voted to leave the European Union in 2016. This change went into effect in 2020, ushering in the official era of Brexit. That means that UK citizens are no longer part of the European Union or the Schengen Zone.
For American travelers, this change hasn’t affected much; you don’t need a visa to travel to the UK for a short period of time. But there’s one place where you’ll notice this change: customs lines.
Now that UK citizens aren’t part of the EU, they must also wait customs lines to enter the EU. If you’re an American heading to Europe by way of a London stopover, don’t forget to factor this into any connecting flights you may have.
In general, European airports have two lines: one for EU members and one for non-EU members. UK travelers make up a massive bulk of EU tourists, which means you can expect longer lines in larger international airports. Always account for this when booking connecting flights.
