(CNN) — It’s finally here: the end of fee-free travel to the European Union.
The EU has announced the launch of its long-awaited visa waiver scheme, ETIAS, to debut in May 2023.
While ETIAS is not the same as a visa — it is quicker, done online, and requires no biometric information — there is still a procedure and a cost to acquiring it, rather like the United States’ scheme, ESTA.
ETIAS, which stands for European Travel Information and Authorization System, had previously been slated for a late 2022 debut.
EU travelers are exempt, and have freedom of movement around