Citizens from Panama will need a visa to enter most of the European Union starting in 2020.
The EU approved the European Travel Information and Authorization System, also known as ETIAS, last week, which will gather, keep track of and update necessary information regarding visitors to determine whether it is safe for them to enter Schengen Area member states, which are Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.
Other countries whose citizens currently enter visa-free but will need to be processed through ETIAS come 2020 include Australia, Canada, Israel, Japan, Hong Kong, Mexico, New Zealand, South Korea, the United Arab Emirates and the United States, among a long list of others.
In somewhat related news, Panama waived visa requirements for citizens of Schengen countries last month.
There are many countries who are not in the European Union (EU) whose citizens can enter the EU Schengen Zone without needing a visa. Specifically, there are currently 61 countries who are not in the EU, but are visa free.
Citizens of these countries are allowed to go into countries in the Schengen Zone for business or travel purposes for up to 90 days. During these 90 days, these visitors are not allowed to work or study, but can engage in business and tourism activities.
In addition, recent security concerns with terrorism and the migrant crisis have called for a better management of who is entering EU borders. The EU has continuously declared its goal of making travelling within its borders a more secure experience.
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