On September 5, 2018, the Council of the European Union adopted a regulation creating a European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS). The purpose of the system is to authorize advance checks and deny travel authorization, if necessary, to visa-exempt third-country nationals traveling to the Schengen area. This system is expected to improve the EU’s internal security, prevent illegal immigration, protect public health, and reduce delays at the border by identifying persons who may pose a risk in one of these areas before they arrive at the external borders.
The adopted regulation will have to be signed by the Council and the European Parliament and will be in effect twenty days after the signed text is published in the EU Official Journal.