New offerings from Sherpa° since January 2025:
- 🇺🇸 United States ESTA: Nationals of Qatar can now apply online with Sherpa°.
Significant global updates in January 2025:
- 🇪🇺 The French Consulate in Toronto published an update on the European Union’s upcoming ETIAS:
- Spring 2025: Entry into force of the EES (no change for travelers).
- Fall 2025: Entry into force of ETIAS with a 6-month transition period during which an ETIAS travel authorization will likely remain optional.
- Spring 2026: ETIAS authorization becomes mandatory for all travelers seeking entry to any of the of the 30 European countries that require ETIAS and who are from any countries exempt from the requirement to have a short-stay visa.
- 🇬🇧 The United Kingdom announced that transit passengers from ETA-eligible countries are exempt from requiring an ETA if transiting via Manchester Airport (MAN) or Heathrow Airport (LHR) as long as they do not pass through border control (‘airside’ transit). Travelers who must pass through border control, such as when traveling on separate tickets or transferring between airports, must obtain an ETA.
- 🇺🇸 The United States added 🇷🇴 Romania to the Visa Waiver Program (ESTA) on 10 January. Romanian passport holders are expected to be able to apply for an ESTA by 31 March 2025.
- 🇹🇭 Thailand announced that it is preparing to launch a mandatory electronic customs and immigration declaration. Dubbed the ‘Thailand Digital Arrival Card: TDAC,’ the form is expected to be operational by 1 May 2025, according to the Thai government.
- 🇻🇳 Vietnam announced that passport holders of 🇨🇿 Czechia, 🇵🇱 Poland, and 🇨🇭Switzerland will be visa-exempt for stays of up to 45 days beginning 1 March 2025.
- 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia announced that beginning in February, travelers visiting for Umrah or Hajj are required to provide proof of a Polio vaccination if arriving from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Mozambique, DR Congo, Guinea, Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Ethiopia, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Congo, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, or Tanzania.
- 🇭🇰 Hong Kong SAR and 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia announced mutual visa exemptions; Hong Kong SAR passport holders can apply for an eVisa & Visa on arrival in Saudi Arabia, and Saudi Arabia passport holders can now stay for up to 90 days in Hong Kong SAR without a visa (an increase from the previous 30 days).
- 🇰🇪 Kenya approved a proposal to exempt all currently eligible African passport holders (excluding passport holders of Somalia and Libya) from requiring an ETA. A start date is to be determined.
