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Paul J. Sarauskas

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As of January, 1, 2025, Israel will require travelers to provide either a valid visa or “Marom ETA-IL” (Electronic Travel Authorization) approval to enter the country. ETA-IL applications may be submitted at any time prior to travel to Israel. However, the Israeli government recommends that travelers submit their applications at least 72 hours prior to booking flights, hotels, and/or similar expenses related to their travel.

Travelers applying for the ET-IL authorization will receive a reply within 24-72 hours, and if their application is approved, will be allowed to enter Israel for business visits and tourism for up to ninety (90) days at a time. The ETA-IL will remain valid for multiple entries over a two-year period or until the traveler’s passport expires, whichever is sooner. This announcement was previously made in 2024, but was postponed to give travelers the proper time to prepare for this new requirement. Israel’s introduction of the ETA-IL system comes as the European Union seeks to implement its own electronic travel authorization scheme for visa exempt nationals, which is expected to launch in 2025.Continue Reading Israel Launches Electronic Travel Authorization System – Marom ETA-IL

Europe Justice

On December 12, 2024, the European Council announced that European Union (EU) member states have agreed to abolish checks on persons at the internal land borders with and between Bulgaria and Romania starting January 1, 2025. This decision will eliminate the reported, long border control queues at the thirty (30) land borders shared by the two countries. This should enable Bulgarian and Romanian citizens to save time by allowing free travel between the countries via internal land borders as well as spur economic growth in these two countries as the transportation of goods will no longer be hindered by lengthy border queues. This decision represents the long-awaited, full joining of Bulgaria and Romania to Europe’s Schengen area in the new year.Continue Reading Bulgaria and Romania to Fully Join Schengen Area in New Year

European Union Commissioner of Home Affairs Ylva Johansson has announced that the EU’s new Entry/Exit System (EES) will launch on November 10, 2024. EES is intended to function as an automated electronic system for registering the entry and exit of non-EU nationals traveling for short stays in the Schengen Area. The system is meant to replace passport stamping for most short-term visitors. EES will track each time an individual crosses an external Schengen border, collecting biometric data and enabling officials to better address overstays. The EU’s launch of the EES system comes as the bloc is preparing for the start of the much delayed ETIAS electronic travel authorization program in 2025.Continue Reading EU Announces Start Date for Electronic Entry/Exit System

Effective August 1, 2024, Israel will require travelers from visa exempt countries to obtain an electronic travel authorization before departing for the country. Travelers applying for the authorization—known as ETA-IL—will receive a reply within 24-72 hours, and if their application is approved, will be allowed to enter Israel for business visits and tourism for up to ninety days at a time. The ETA-IL will remain valid for multiple entries over a two-year period or until the traveler’s passport expires, whichever is sooner. The ETA-IL system opened as a voluntary pilot program for U.S. and German passport holders on June 1 and will open to all other visa exempt nationals on July 1. Israel’s introduction of the ETA-IL system comes as the European Union seeks to implement its own electronic travel authorization scheme for visa exempt nationals, which is expected to launch in 2025.Continue Reading Israel Introduces Electronic Travel Authorization Requirement

The European Commission has adopted a new set of rules that enable Indian, Saudi, Bahraini, and Omani nationals to obtain short-stay Schengen visas with longer validity periods. Under the new rules, Indian nationals may be eligible for two- and five-year multiple entry visas, based on their travel history. Saudi, Bahraini, and Omani nationals residing in their respective home countries are now eligible for five-year multiple entry visas. The expansion of visa validity periods reflects the EU’s determination that these nationals pose low migratory and security risks. The moves are expected to facilitate travel to Europe by reducing the frequency with which qualified nationals must apply for new short-stay visas.  Continue Reading EU Opens New Schengen Visa Options for Indian and Middle Eastern Nationals

As of March 2024, the Schengen Area will partially expand through the lifting of air and sea border controls with Bulgaria and Romania. This marks the ninth expansion of the free movement zone, which most recently added Croatia in January 2023. Land border controls with Bulgaria and Romania will remain in place for the time being and the two countries will continue issuing national entry visas rather than Schengen visas. In announcing the expansion, the European Commission – the executive arm of the European Union – emphasized that discussions on lifting land border controls will continue in 2024.Continue Reading Schengen Area Expands to Include Air & Sea Travel to Bulgaria & Romania

Europe Justice

Effective January 1, 2024, Kosovo passport holders may travel to European Union member states in the Schengen Area without a passport, and may remain in Schengen territory for up to 90 days in any rolling 180-day period. EU passport holders are likewise now eligible to travel visa-free to Kosovo. The visa-free program includes travel to all EU member states that are part of the Schengen Area, as well as Bulgaria, Cyprus, and Romania, plus non-EU members Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland. Kosovo passport holders will still require visas for travel to Ireland, which is an EU member but outside the Schengen Area.Continue Reading EU and Kosovo Launch Mutual Visa-Free Travel Program

Passport

Effective December 23, 2023, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has lifted Türkiye’s visa requirement for six countries: United States, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Canada, Saudi Arabia, and Oman. Tourists from these countries are now permitted to spend 90 days out of a 180-day period in Türkiye without a visa. Previously, foreign nationals from these countries…

Hands of businessman signing contract

On June 23, 2023, the Italian government announced that foreign workers would be permitted to begin working in Italy while they wait to sign a contratto di soggiorno (contract of stay) at the immigration office. The change is part of a package of reforms intended to enable qualified foreign workers to begin employment in Italy in a more rapid fashion. While the foreign worker is still eventually required to sign the contract of stay, they no longer have to wait to do so before beginning formal employment.  Continue Reading Italy Loosens Post-Arrival Requirements for Foreign Workers

The Polish government has reportedly begun relaxing work permit requirements for certain individuals working remotely in the country for foreign employers. The policy change has been announced in agency guidance issued by the Ministry of Family and Social Policy, which exercises responsibility over the Polish labor market. The move is a departure from the government’s previous policy requiring nearly all gainfully employed foreign workers located in Polish territory to obtain a work permit – even if their physical location was incidental to their work. Poland’s relaxation of work permit rules for remote workers comes as several other countries – including Spain, Italy, Romania, Iceland, and the United Arab Emirates – have introduced remote worker (or “Digital Nomad”) visas to attract an increasingly mobile class of global talent.  Continue Reading Poland Relaxes Work Authorization Rules for Remote Workers