The EU to Impose a Tax on Citizens of Non-member Countries when Entering the Schengen Zone

A new tax will soon be required for non-EU citizens to enter the Schengen area from 2022. According to Euronews, any passenger other than those living in the Schengen area will have to pay the tax when entering the Schengen area.

According to the publication, those who are citizens of EU member states but do not live in Schengen countries are not exempt from tax either.

As it is known, from 2022, when entering the Schengen area, passengers will have to fill out an application and pay 7 euros, otherwise, they will not be able to cross the border.

When filling out the application it will be necessary to fill in the biometric passport data and personal information. Applicants must complete it within 72 hours before departure.

According to the European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS), the reason for imposing the tax is to increase security in the EU and to avoid health risks.

According to them, people under the age of 18 and over 70 are exempt from the new tax.

According to Euronews, it will be active for three years from filling out the application. Consequently, if you enter the Schengen zone several times in 3 years, you don’t have to repay the tax.

For reference, there are a total of 27 EU member states. Of these, Bulgaria, Romania, Cyprus, and Croatia do not belong to the Schengen area. The Schengen area also includes Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland, and European dwarf states – Monaco, San Marino, and the Vatican.