The EU Commission in Brussels has developed a visa waiver system that will be launched in early 2020. The visa waiver, called ETIAS, will cost € 5 per applicant, but will be free for people under the age of 20. 18 years old. people who will need to apply for an ETIAS after its launch, you will have to complete the ETIAS form online at least 72 hours before traveling to a Schengen country, even if you arrive in a European member country on a bus or your own car. EU officials say the online form will be easy to fill out and once approval is given, it will take five years before another application is submitted. If you are traveling to Norway first and you have ETIAS approval, you can visit any other Schengen country after Norway for a total tour of less than 90 days combined with all your trips to Europe.
Norway is not in the EU so why is there an ETIAS Norway?
Good question. Although this appears to be a decision taken by the EU, the ETIAS application applies to entry into the Schengen group, although most of them are in the EU anyway. Norway is a member of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) on the Schengen Agreement, the ETIAS visa waiver system will apply to entry into Norway, but the country is not a separate member entire EU. All EU member countries are in the same customs union even though they are not in the Schengen area. Still confused? The bottom line is that you have plenty of time to think about what to do if you plan to visit Europe in the near future and that there will be plenty of advice available to help you if you are confused.
The Norwegian fjords are world famous, but what else is there to see?
Norway reaches the Arctic Circle and its spectacular fjords are located on the west coast (North Sea). Most visitors to Norway organize a cruise on at least one of the fjords, although there are many other attractions in the country.
Like their Scandinavian neighbors, Norwegians love the outdoors and spend a lot of time hiking, biking, skiing, sailing and sledding. The preferred activity will depend on the season. Many Norwegians avoid expensive accommodation options and go camping. Camping is free, even on private land, for one night anyway!
The main attractions, aside from the fjords, include a trip to the Arctic Circle to witness the midnight sun and aurora borealis (Aurora Borealis). Norway is renowned for being the best place to see this remarkable natural view. The north is also where you could see reindeer (domesticated), walrus and polar bears. There are specially organized trips to see Arctic wildlife in the Arctic region of Norway.
Who will have to apply for a Norway ETIAS?
If you hold a Schengen or EU passport, you will not be affected by ETIAS unless you are British. Britain is not in Schengen, but it's in the EU - right! By the time the etias-france starts in 2020, it is likely that Britain will no longer be in the EU. If the Brexit negotiations place Britain in the visa-free group of 60 other countries, British travelers to either Schengen country pay the fees and apply for ETIAS authorization even if they have just spent a few hours in France! This sounds disturbing, but it will not be so bad that once the ETIAS application is approved, it will last 5 years.
Just to confirm who will need an ETIAS Norway, it will be all non-EU people who will not need a visa at the moment. If you know that you have to apply for a Schengen visa now, this arrangement will not change after the entry into force of ETIAS.