https://www.etia.com is a completely electronic system for the citizens traveling Europe. The ETIAS authorization is not a visa but a visa-waiver system. Introduced by European Union, the ETIAS will be in action from 1st January 2021. It stands for European Travel Information and Authorization System. It can be understood as a pre-screening program for visa-exempt visitors who are planning to visit Europe starting from January 1, 2021. 

The proposal of ETIAS was passed in November 2016 but from 2021 they will finally be in action. 

There are approximately 60 countries in the world that are allowed to roam visa-free into the territory of European Union. This new visa-waiver and travel authorization system will only be applied to the citizens of these countries. The countries include the United States, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand. The rest of the citizens who always needed to acquire a visa to enter the European nations will remain unaffected with the introduction of this new system. 

The citizens will also be needing this ETIAS to enter the countries falling into the Schengen Border Area. There are a total of 26 countries in the world, including Germany, Italy, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, Denmark, Hungary, Austria that are a member of Schengen border countries. So it will be mandatory for the people to apply for ETIAS to enter these countries too. 

To apply for ETIAS you must have a valid passport. You will not be able to apply for this new visa-waiver system without having your own passport. The process is very easy and not as complicated as applying for your passport. All you will need to do is to fill out an application form available on the official site. The form will ask you to fill your basic details like name, address, gender, nationality, place of birth, date of birth etc. Upon filling these details you will receive a decision within minutes whether your ETIAS got approved or not. 

The ETIAS will be mandatory for everyone regardless of age. Children below the age of 18 (minors) and people above the age of 70 will also need to apply for ETIAS. The application fee will be seven euros but it is free of cost for minors and old-age people above the age of 70. 

ETIAS are valid for travel, business, transit and medical purposes but they will not be valid for staying in the country for job and education purposes. ETIAS will be valid for 3 years from the date of issue. And they will permit you to stay in the European nations for 3 months at once. But please note that they will expire as soon as your passport will expire. 

You are advised to apply for ETIAS before visiting the European nations from 1st January 2021. You will be required to show your valid ETIAS as soon as you enter the destination country. The checker will also ask for your other travel document and will only allow you entry on the basis of that.