Europe announces new permit to travel to its territory

Passport review at the Paris airport. (LIONEL BONAVENTURE / AFP / Getty Images)

(CNN Spanish) - In order to strengthen security on its borders, the European Commission proposed the creation of a registration system for all visitors from third countries until now exempt from visa, which will be about 39 million people when Start the program in 2020.

The European System for Information and Travel Authorization (ETIAS, for its acronym in English) will collect information about visitors who do not require a visa to enter the countries of the so - called Schengen area in order to advance security checks and to avoid Irregular immigration.

The 26 countries that make up the Schengen Area are: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Holland, Poland, Portugal, the Czech Republic, Sweden and Switzerland.

In a statement , the European Commission stressed that the proposed permit is not a visa, but a prior authorization to enter the Schengen area in order to identify possible illegal immigrants or individuals who pose a security threat.

According to the proposal, the permit will facilitate access to Europe for travelers from countries outside the Schengen area that do not currently require a visa.

The ETIAS will work as follows:

1. Before traveling, applicants should fill out an application, via internet, with basic information (name, age, occupation, passport number, country of entry to Europe, among others). In addition, they should answer a questionnaire on safety and health issues, among others.The record, in principle, should not take more than 10 minutes.
2. After completing the format, a fee of 5 euros will be paid for each applicant over 18 years. The permit will have a duration of five years and there is no need to submit another document in addition to the passport.

The ETIAS does not apply to travelers from countries that need a visa to enter Europe . At present, the countries of America that are in this situation are: Belize, Bolivia, Cuba, Ecuador, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Dominican Republic and Suriname.

The countries of the American continent that will require the permit are Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Bahamas, Barbados, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominica, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, United States, Uruguay and Venezuela.