#visa-compliance-changes

#visa-compliance-changes

The new checks, part of the EU's new Entry/Exit System (EES), collect digital personal records of third country nationals travelling to the Schengen area and replace the manual stamping of passports.

The idea is to prevent visitors overstaying; the consequence is a 70% increase in security processing times, according to the trade body Airports Council International.

"The objective was to promote tourism, which is important, as tourism generates significant revenue and contributes to Thailand's GDP," Thai Minister of Foreign Affairs Sihasak Phuangketkeow said at a March 20 press briefing.

After significant deliberation, taking into account both the affected public's concerns regarding the cost of the fee and the not insignificant anecdotal evidence regarding tax-related difficulties many US nationals residing abroad encounter, including in part because of FATCA, the Department made a policy decision... to propose alleviating the cost burden for those individuals who decide to request CLN services by returning to the below-cost fee of $450.

The passport program's base fee structure alone can no longer support the cost of program operations. Since the last time inflation was accounted for in program fees, the CPI increased by 14.5 per cent, leading to expenditures outpacing revenues by approximately $121 million in fiscal year 2024-25. The program is in the midst of a comprehensive fee structure review, which will result in options for fee adjustments to account for the true cost of operations.

However, the government bans British citizens, including those with another nationality, from ETAs, meaning they either need to apply for a British passport if they don't have one or spend £589 on a certificate of entitlement. Both options take several weeks.

If you got British citizenship after settling in the UK under the EU settlement scheme, you can travel to the UK using a valid: passport of your other nationality; [or] national identity card from the EU, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein or Switzerland.

Gaining citizenship through family or through marriage is possible, but if you don't have any useful relatives or an EU spouse you'll be looking at getting citizenship through residency. From residency requirements to rules on dual nationality, every country in Europe has its own way of tackling naturalisation.

Spy thrillers have often included characters with multiple passports to evoke drama and suspense. The reality of having more than one passport is far tamer, but can help travelers navigate difficult visa situations and provide more flexibility for trips abroad. Even having a duplicate of a passport can be helpful if your primary passport is damaged, lost, or stolen. Here's everything travelers need to know about holding multiple passports, including how many you can have, how to obtain a second passport,

At first, it sounds almost too simple like someone claiming they've solved European immigration with nothing more than a calendar and a backpack. But this little pattern, when used intentionally and legally, becomes one of the most elegant travel strategies in the world. It lets you stay in Europe far longer than any tourist visa seems to allow, all without breaking rules, overstaying, or navigating complicated immigration systems.