ETIAS For US Citizens

Traveling to Europe From the US With ETIAS

All U.S. citizens will be required to obtain an ETIAS to travel to Europe visa-free from mid-2025 on, including minors. 

An approved ETIAS does not guarantee entry to Europe; it merely grants the holder permission to travel to Schengen countries. The final decision for entry will be made by an immigration officer at border control. The traveler may be asked to prove they do not intend to spend longer in Europe than the period allowed by the ETIAS, by providing evidence of:

• Return flight tickets to the United States or tickets to an onward destination
• Proof of travel health insurance
• Proof of sufficient funds to cover the stay

An ETIAS may be revoked when the conditions for the issuing of the visa waiver are no longer met. Particularly when there is reason to believe that the visa waiver was obtained by providing misleading or fraudulent information. For this reason, it is essential to ensure that all of the information provided on the ETIAS form is correct before submitting the application. Even small errors may result in the revocation of an ETIAS.

Travelers whose passport expires during the validity of the ETIAS are required to submit a new application in order to continue to travel to the Schengen Area, as an ETIAS is specifically linked to the travel document used to complete the original application.

Visa Waiver Bilateral Agreements Between the US and EU Member States

Citizens of the United States can take advantage of bilateral visa-waiver agreements with several European Union countries in the Schengen Area. These agreements allow US passport holders to stay for a specified period beyond the standard 90-day Schengen limit.

Nations with bilateral visa-waiver agreements with the US are listed below, along with the maximum permitted length of stay in each case:

• Belgium (3 months)
• Denmark (3 months)
• Italy (3 months)
• Hungary (90 days)*
• Portugal (60 days)*
• Spain (90 days)*
• France (90 days)
• Latvia (90 days in half a year)*
• The Netherlands (90 days)*

Schengen-associated country with a bilateral visa-waiver agreement: Norway (90 days)

*Only ordinary passports are permitted.

US passport holders who take advantage of one of these visa-waiver agreements are required to exit the Schengen Area from that EU nation. It is required that the traveler fly directly to a third-country or transit in a non-Schengen airport, on departure. It is not possible to move freely around Europe under the bilateral agreements, so travelers are required to remain in that particular EU member state. Bilateral agreements between the United States and European Union member states are subject to change.