From the Editorial Office
Newspaper La Jornada
Thursday June 9, 2022, p. 14
With the new visa exemption system (ETIAS) approved by the European Union (EU) in 2016, citizens of 60 countries, including Mexico and the rest of the nations of Latin America, must request a travel authorization to freely enter the 26 states of the Schengen area of the community bloc.
The new modality will come into full force in May 2023, so that citizens of 60 countries that were exempt from the visa requirement to enter the aforementioned zone will need to register in the European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS, by its acronym in English).
This authorization will allow trips to Europe of up to 90 days each in a period of three years or sooner if the passport expires.
The requirement includes the United Kingdom, which ceased to be part of the European Union as of Brexitand nations such as Croatia or Ireland, which are not considered within the Schengen area.
To enroll in the system, Mexicans require a valid passport, credit and debit card and an email address, as well as fill out the form that is in the link https://www.etiasvisa.com/en/request-etias.
The European Parliament approved this visa waiver program in 2016 to improve border security. ETIAS was expected to take about five years to be operational so that by 2022 it would be fully up and running.
In 2016, the then President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, highlighted the need to address deficiencies in the functioning of the EU’s data management systems, announcing that the creation of ETIAS, an automated system, would be proposed. to determine the eligibility of travelers from visa-exempt countries before they entered the Schengen zone.
He promised that the system would respect fundamental rights and data protection.
the middle american Voice of America reported the entry into force of the ETIAS on January 3.
