U.S. citizens will need a visa beginning in 2021 to enter the a zone of 26 European countries that includes Spain, France, Greece, Germany, Italy and Poland, according to CNN. The announcement Friday indicated that Americans will be required to have a European Travel Information and Authorization System(ETIAS) visa, which officials said is intended “to improve [countries] security level to avoid any further problems with illegal migration and terrorism.” U.S. citizens are presently permitted to travel throughout the so-called European Schengen Area for a maximum of 90 days without a visa, per the CNN report. EITAS applicants must have a valid passport, debit or credit card, and email address, but minors will still be able to enter the 26 Schengen area countries without the new required travel document. Schengen countries, among them France, Germany, Spain, Poland and Italy, don’t have internal borders. European parliament and U.S. officials have been in a dispute over travel because citizens of five E.U. member countries, including Poland and Bulgaria, are still required to apply for visa before entering the U.S.
