#ETIAS , #Schengen , #EuropeanUnion , #ESTA US citizens visiting parts of Europe will need authorization from the European Union come 2021. The Schengen Area is a zone of 26 European countries that do not have internal borders and allow people to move between them freely, including countries such as Spain, France, Greece, Germany, Italy, and Poland. Currently, US citizens can travel to Europe for up to 90 days without any sort of travel authorization. ETIAS will change that. Visa-free travelers, including US citizens, will need to request ETIAS authorization before visiting the Schengen Area. They can complete an application and pay a service fee of 7 euros (about $8) online. The authorization is valid for three years. The United States has a similar system called the Electronic System for Travel Authorization, or ESTA. "We are aware of the European Union's plan to implement its own travel information and authorization system, similar to the U.S. ESTA, to contri