New Fee for Non-EU Citizens/Residents Entering the EU in 2022

[lindam]

The following article: www.euronews.com/travel/2021/11/15/brits-and-americans-must-pay-7-to-travel-to-the-eu-from-2022 explains that starting in 2022, non-EU citizens/residents will be required to pay an additional 7€ as well as to complete additional documentation prior to entering the EU. One more thing to be taken care of prior to the start of a Camino for those without an EU passport or residency. The article indicates that this change will come into effect before the end of 2022.

 

[trecile]

The following article: www.euronews.com/travel/2021/11/15/brits-and-americans-must-pay-7-to-travel-to-the-eu-from-2022 explains that starting in 2022, non-EU citizens/residents will be required to pay an additional 7€ as well as to complete additional documentation prior to entering the EU. One more thing to be taken care of prior to the start of a Camino for those without an EU passport or residency. The article indicates that this change will come into effect before the end of 2022.

This fee to apply for an ETIAS has been discussed here before. When it finally goes onto effect I'm sure that there will be plenty of articles, plus information from official sites.

 

[Tincatinker]

I love @euronews. I love their persistence. Trumping out a subtle blend of fact and speculation that must keep their advertisers if not happy at least satisfied that they’re getting some sort of return on their money

 

[Kathar1na]

The article indicates that this change will come into effect before the end of 2022.

ETIAS will not come into effect before May 2023.

From the people who run this show, namely the meeting of the Justice and Home Affairs Council on 9-10 December 2021 in Brussels; that's the 27 ministers of JHA from the 27 EU countries:

Ministers exchanged views on the implementation of interoperability [of the future EU-wide IT systems for security and migration]. On the basis of the assessment by eu-LISA [agency who designs and develops these IT systems] and the European Commission, they agreed on a revised timeline of mid-June 2022 for the upgraded Schengen Information System, end of September 2022 for the Entry/Exit System and May 2023 for ETIAS and ECRIS-TCN.​

Justice and Home Affairs Council, 9-10 December 2021

Ministers discussed the issues of hybrid attacks and of migrant smuggling. They also held a debate on the Next Generation EU recovery funds and on how infiltration by organised crime into legal structures and processes can best be prevented. The Council concluded that Croatia has fulfilled the...

www.consilium.europa.eu

 

[JabbaPapa]

The following article: www.euronews.com/travel/2021/11/15/brits-and-americans-must-pay-7-to-travel-to-the-eu-from-2022 explains that starting in 2022, non-EU citizens/residents will be required to pay an additional 7€ as well as to complete additional documentation prior to entering the EU.

It's not 7€ every time ; IIRC the certificate is valid for three years.

 

[oursonpolaire]

If the information is not from a .eu site, it's not information.

 

[Kathar1na]

If the information is not from a .eu site, it's not information.

That's a good slogan ! However, it should read: .europa.eu site.

Furthermore, and this will happen because it's fixed in law: If and when ETIAS becomes operational in May 2023 as planned, it doesn't mean that travellers have to pay their due of €7 then. Because the law says: For a period of six months from the date on which ETIAS starts operations, the use of ETIAS shall be optional and the requirement to be in possession of a valid travel authorisation shall not apply.

Six months, counted from May 2023, takes us to November 2023. There will be an information campaign during these six months. Leaflets will be distributed, says the law. They also have said that they do not wish to start making ETIAS mandatory during busy travelling periods like the summer months or Christmas time.

I would not be surprised if it will be 2024 when ETIAS becomes mandatory for travellers for the first time. This would mean that there will be two more years during which writers of news articles and catchy headlines can dupe readers into believing that the introduction of ETIAS is somehow imminent.

 

[Jeff Crawley]

Buried down towards the bottom of the article: "Eligible travellers will have to fill out an online application before they arrive, which costs €7 or is free to under-18s or over-70s."
So good news for those of us in our first and second childhoods.

 

[Saint Mike II]

Hola : OK for the non-EU people what is an ETIAS?? As for the 7 Euro - well happy to pay as long as some relevant official explains what its for and who gets it?? Cheers

 

[Kathar1na]

As for the 7 Euro - well happy to pay as long as some relevant official explains what its for and who gets it??

If you want to get into Spain, you'll have to pay your 7€, whether happy or unhappy with it. I'm not a relevant official but if it makes you happier to know more here we go :

What's it for:

Border control and border management; security, illegal immigration or high epidemic risk - and they wrote this years before Covid-19 appeared.​

Who gets it:

The ETIAS revenues will be used to finance the operational and maintenance costs of the ETIAS Information System, of the ETIAS Central Unit and of the ETIAS National Units.​

​

Source: ec.europa.eu and eur-lex.europa.eu

 

[Former member 91017]

Hola : OK for the non-EU people what is an ETIAS?? As for the 7 Euro - well happy to pay as long as some relevant official explains what its for and who gets it?? Cheers

Here is the relevant information for Canada about the new ETIAS requirements for 2023(ish)

ETIAS for Canadians

ETIAS for Canadians citizens. Canadians intent on traveling to Europe for business or leisure will need to apply for an ETIAS visa waiver from 2022.

www.etiasvisa.com

People from other countries who do not hold Schengen valid passports should check their own requirements for entry into the EU.

Border control is expensive. I think that one logic for the very tiny 7euro fee is that visitors are potentially travelling around using local border service resources in as many EU countries as they like without having paid for it. Those of us who have EU passports have paid for them… meaning we have already paid into the system for X amount of years to be able to use those services.

 

[MacMac]

Too cheap! LOL! 7€ only?

As citizen of an EU country, I have to pay $25 for an ESTA for the US valid 24 months.

 

[Amused212]

If you want to get into Spain, you'll have to pay your 7€, whether happy or unhappy with it. I'm not a relevant official but if it makes you happier to know more here we go :

What's it for:

Border control and border management; security, illegal immigration or high epidemic risk - and they wrote this years before Covid-19 appeared.​

Who gets it:

The ETIAS revenues will be used to finance the operational and maintenance costs of the ETIAS Information System, of the ETIAS Central Unit and of the ETIAS National Units.​

​

Source: ec.europa.eu and eur-lex.europa.eu

What does E-T- I-A-S stand for?

 

[Bradypus]

What does E-T- I-A-S stand for?

European Travel Information and Authorisation System​

European Travel Information and Authorisation System - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

Hola : OK for the non-EU people what is an ETIAS?? As for the 7 Euro - well happy to pay as long as some relevant official explains what its for and who gets it?? Cheers

In short, ETIAS resembles the U.S Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA), which serves a similar purpose if that is any help.

If not any help, let's pretend the Schengen Zone is a country I'll call Schengenia. Consider a visa as a stamp in a passport that shows that you have permission to enter a country (or shows the police you legally can be in it). To get entry into Schengenia citizens of many countries have to apply for permission ahead of time and, if granted it, have their passports stamped prior to arrival in Schengenia. They need to do this for every visit. It gives Schengenia the opportunity to do a background check on the applicants and withhold stamping the passport.

There are a good number of countries though whose citizens are considered as being good risks. They do not have to get their passports stamped ahead of time. They show up at the border or an airport and the border guards see that they haven't spent too much time in Schengenia in the recent past and they get their passports stamped on entry. Note though that no background check has been done on the individual other than being a citizen of an approved country.

ETIAS will be used to do background checks on applicants from the "special" countries. If you don't have approval then you don't get allowed into Schengenia. If you do have approval then for three years from approval nothing changes from what is done now.

Without approval at a land border you aren't allowed in. For arrivals by sea and air I imagine that the ship or airline will be required to keep you. That means they probably will not allow you onboard without them checking your ETIAS status first.

A hopefully simple explanation. It will be incorrect in some details (I'm sure @Kathar1na will catch them) but I think it gets the idea across.

 

[JerryStroebele]

I will gladly pay Spain 7 euros anytime I can return to the Camino. The privilege of staying in an albergue based on walking and having a credencial is beyond compare. Buen Camino

 

[Amused212]

European Travel Information and Authorisation System​

European Travel Information and Authorisation System - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

Thanks!

 

[Felizald]

In short, ETIAS resembles the U.S Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA), which serves a similar purpose if that is any help.

That's what it is. Nicely explained, Rick of Rick and Peg.
Many people in this forum are from the US and unware of the ESTA requirement. In fact, nationals from countries that don't require a formal visa, to call it somehow, need to do an ESTA and pay a fee, for background checks, to enter the US at least for the last 10 years. Canada implemented something similar a few years ago, And now the EU is moving forward with a similar scheme.

 

[trecile]

As citizen of an EU country, I have to pay $25 for an ESTA for the US valid 24 months.

The ESTA costs $14 for 24 months. Unless you are applying for it through a 3rd party site which is taking a cut.
Here's the official site.

Official ESTA Application Website, U.S. Customs and Border Protection

esta.cbp.dhs.gov

 

[Albertagirl]

Buried down towards the bottom of the article: "Eligible travellers will have to fill out an online application before they arrive, which costs €7 or is free to under-18s or over-70s."
So good news for those of us in our first and second childhoods.

As an over 70, I would rather pay for the ETIAS and not have to fill it in, except for a link to my passport. I went through the many government procedures and filling in of documents required to get to Spain, then home to Canada, for my 2021 camino. It took me a massive amount of time, some money, an immeasurable amount of stress, and kind help from friends, to leap through all the hoops. We seniors are, some of us, past the point where we can deal with this. The form, as I looked at it on @Faye Walker 's post, above, requires the location where my parents were born. I know where I was born, and exactly where my father was born. But I cannot identify my mother's place of birth beyond saying that I think it was somewhere in Ontario, Canada. I suspect that there may be other questions where the degree of specificity required is ambiguous or the person filling in the form simply does not know the answer, or cannot prove it. If I have to spend more days trying to fill in an online form which purports to take minutes to complete, you will hear my screams from Calgary to Madrid. Incidentally, there is another woman in Alberta with the identical name to mine. On one occasion, our chest x-rays were confused in a hospital in Edmonton. I can only hope that she has not committed any crimes since that date, as our identities were again confused when I was more recently applying for travel insurance.

 

[Jeff Crawley]

In short, ETIAS resembles the U.S Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA), which serves a similar purpose if that is any help.

If not any help, let's pretend the Schengen Zone is a country I'll call Schengenia. Consider a visa as a stamp in a passport that shows that you have permission to enter a country (or shows the police you legally can be in it). To get entry into Schengenia citizens of many countries have to apply for permission ahead of time and, if granted it, have their passports stamped prior to arrival in Schengenia. They need to do this for every visit. It gives Schengenia the opportunity to do a background check on the applicants and withhold stamping the passport.

There are a good number of countries though whose citizens are considered as being good risks. They do not have to get their passports stamped ahead of time. They show up at the border or an airport and the border guards see that they haven't spent too much time in Schengenia in the recent past and they get their passports stamped on entry. Note though that no background check has been done on the individual other than being a citizen of an approved country.

ETIAS will be used to do background checks on applicants from the "special" countries. If you don't have approval then you don't get allowed into Schengenia. If you do have approval then for three years from approval nothing changes from what is done now.

Without approval at a land border you aren't allowed in. For arrivals by sea and air I imagine that the ship or airline will be required to keep you. That means they probably will not allow you onboard without them checking your ETIAS status first.

A hopefully simple explanation. It will be incorrect in some details (I'm sure @Kathar1na will catch them) but I think it gets the idea across.

Nicely spelled out.

If it wasn't for Covid I'd first in line at the Embassy of Schengenia seeking asylum.

I've had some odd formalities at border crossings before now - buying a postage stamp to go into your passport for Egypt - but with hindsight regret my parents following the rules on our first trip to Spain in 1964 (!) They were warned that if we didn't get an Entrada stamp on entry we wouldn't be given a Salida stamp to leave the country! I could have been stranded in Spain for years . . .

 

[Camino Chrissy]

Too cheap! LOL! 7€ only?

Exactly! Hardly worth discussing except to say it's a real bargain...or possibly it's just a typo and is missing a zero.

 

[trecile]

. The form, as I looked at it on @Faye Walker 's post, above, requires the location where my parents were born

The site that @Faye Walker linked to is a commercial site - not an official government site. Any information on it is merely speculation. It appears to have been set up in order to act as an (unnecessary) middle man to apply for an ETIAS when they are finally required.
When they are required there will be an official site with the europa.eu domain for application.

 

[C clearly]

I cannot identify my mother's place of birth beyond saying that I think it was somewhere in Ontario, Canada.

I am confident that entering "Ontario, Canada" would be more than specific enough.

 

[Former member 91017]

I am confident that entering "Ontario, Canada" would be more than specific enough.

Hopping onto the unnecessary documents is not what I was intending here either... only an explanation of what the ETIAS waiver is, and why it is. Upthread was a question: what is this? And that site has information relevant to Canada -- which clarifies that Canadians are not shifting from not requiring a VISA to somehow requiring one... as many have misunderstood the changes.

I linked to that site because I have no familiarity with what ETIAS might mean for Americans, for recently departed, former common wealth nations... for the "Global South"...

The *potential* hassle is just one of the reasons that I paid for my EU PP (and a 10-yr version at that). Now I -- and my family -- don't have to think about it anymore.

Others will need to take it into account however it manifests when the 2023 deadline finally hits.

 

[Kathar1na]

I don't read etiasvisa.com and therefore I don't know what they say.

I checked eur-lex.europa.eu: You only have to indicate the place of birth of your father, or of your mother or of another family member into the ETIAS system when you claim "the status of family member referred to in point (c) of Article 2(1)" and this means that you are a non-EU national and a non-EU resident who can travel to the EU under the visa waiver system because you are the family member of an EU citizen (and there are further conditions attached to this).

Obviously, the family member in question must be still alive, otherwise the traveller cannot make any claims in this regard, and I would think that he or she can provide their place of birth to the traveller so that the traveller can enter the data into Etias.

So this requirement does not apply to Canadian pilgrims from Canada as such. They benefit from the visa waiver system because they are Canadians. All they need to know and enter is their own place of birth.

 

[oursonpolaire]

Nicely spelled out.

If it wasn't for Covid I'd first in line at the Embassy of Schengenia seeking asylum.

I've had some odd formalities at border crossings before now - buying a postage stamp to go into your passport for Egypt - but with hindsight regret my parents following the rules on our first trip to Spain in 1964 (!) They were warned that if we didn't get an Entrada stamp on entry we wouldn't be given a Salida stamp to leave the country! I could have been stranded in Spain for years . . .

*Bureaucracy-nerd tangent* This would be one of the last survivals of the English revenue stamp, which was required for documents to be official. US pilgrims may well have read of the stamp act, where stamp-impressed paper was required for a document to have legality. Over the years imperial and colonial authorities used revenue stamps to indicate that a fee or tax had been paid-- I have a Gas Transportation Tax stamp from the 1890s. There are a dozen websites on revenue stamps and, in theory, postage stamps were a certificate to the effect that postage had been paid. In the absence of a dedicated revenue stamp, then a postage stamp would do, as @Jeff Crawley discovered-- he is in an ancient tradition of payers of fees to border officials.

 

[Former member 99290]

Exactly! Hardly worth discussing except to say it's a real bargain...or possibly it's just a typo and is missing a zero.

Yes, I was thinking pretty much the same Chrissy. Plenty of time to save up that 7 euros! Given all the other paperwork, documents and fees, I’m ok to add this one to the list if need be

 

[J Walking]

Incidentally, there is another woman in Alberta with the identical name to mine. . . . . I can only hope that she has not committed any crimes since that date

Hopefully not a felony or federal crime!

 

[CAJohn]

I have two passports (US and Ireland). So I won't have to pay this fee. On the other hand, I think I paid 80 or 100 euros, the last time I renewed my Irish passport that is good for 10 years. You do the math.

 

[Former member 49149]

I have two passports (US and Ireland). So I won't have to pay this fee. On the other hand, I think I paid 80 or 100 euros, the last time I renewed my Irish passport that is good for 10 years. You do the math.

Math, maths? Who cares... Ireland is outside the Schengen zone. Or am I wrong? I can live with that... Does that make a difference? Only if and when I next brave the elements and search for a flight to Spain will I know, or care!!!

 

[Corned Beef]

Ireland is outside the Schengen zone.

Yes as it is in the Common Travel Area (CTA) of UK and Ireland which predates Schengen. But Freedom of Movement applies which negates the 90 day limit.

So if you have an Irish passport you can visit the EU and the UK visa free. You have a choice of where you can get infected.

 

[Kathar1na]

Ireland is outside the Schengen zone

As the thread title says, the Etias fee will be for non-EU nationals who don’t live in the EU.

So there will be three price categories for travelling from a country outside of the EU to Spain, depending on the passport used to gain entry:

• passport issued by an EU country: €0
• passport issued by UK, USA, NZ, many others: €7 (no visa required)
• passport issued by SA, many others: €80 (visa required)

 

[Former member 49149]

Yes as it is in the Common Travel Area (CTA) of UK and Ireland which predates Schengen. But Freedom of Movement applies which negates the 90 day limit.

So if you have an Irish passport you can visit the EU and the UK visa free. You have a choice of where you can get infected.

Still waiting just over 12 months, for result of application for Irish citizenship!

 

[Stephan the Painter]

I always laugh when they call something a visa waiver. You have to fill out a form and pay a fee In order to get some sort of piece of paper or stamp that says you don’t need a visa? That sounds like you’re getting a visa to me, haha.

Of course the seven euro fee is a almost irrelevant to most , it’s actually the hassle and time of tracking down and filling out forms and what not. Airlines will have to remind ticket purchasers that you need to do this. People will be turned away at gates. Maybe fly overseas and be sent home?

I’m exempt from much of this, because I have Italian/US passports, but I remember flying from Europe to catch a connecting flight in Canada back to the states, and being pulled out of line by security because I had left the European Union on my Italian passport (but without the required US visa "waiver") as I’m required to. They seemed so disappointed when I pulled out a US passport as well! I guess they wouldn’t have sent me back to Italy, but I would’ve had to stay in Canada ( not the worst fate!).

 

[Albertagirl]

Of course the seven euro fee is a almost irrelevant to most , it’s actually the hassle and time of tracking down and filling out forms and what not.

Exactly.

 

[danielgzepeda]

I always laugh when they call something a visa waiver. You have to fill out a form and pay a fee In order to get some sort of piece of paper or stamp that says you don’t need a visa? That sounds like you’re getting a visa to me, haha.

Of course the seven euro fee is a almost irrelevant to most , it’s actually the hassle and time of tracking down and filling out forms and what not. Airlines will have to remind ticket purchasers that you need to do this. People will be turned away at gates. Maybe fly overseas and be sent home?

I’m exempt from much of this, because I have Italian/US passports, but I remember flying from Europe to catch a connecting flight in Canada back to the states, and being pulled out of line by security because I had left the European Union on my Italian passport (but without the required US visa "waiver") as I’m required to. They seemed so disappointed when I pulled out a US passport as well! I guess they wouldn’t have sent me back to Italy, but I would’ve had to stay in Canada ( not the worst fate!).

Be advised, upon registering for flights into the US, you declared Italian citizenship. At that point you require a 90 day visa waiver for entry into the US. A sleight of hand with passports is not authorized. In addition, the US does not recognize dual citizenship like other countries. Just food for thought!

 

[Bradypus]

In addition, the US does not recognize dual citizenship like other countries.

That was true at one time. My mother-in-law had to renounce her US nationality when she acquired British citizenship after her marriage to an Englishman in the 1950s. But that is no longer the case.

Dual Nationality

U.S. law does not mention dual nationality or require a person to choose one nationality or another.

travel.state.gov

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

In addition, the US does not recognize dual citizenship like other countries. Just food for thought!

It does now based on the 1967 case of Afroyim v. Rusk. However US citizens entering the US must enter using their US passports.

I'm not exactly sure about foreigners getting naturalized as US citizens now. They renounce alligiance to other nations but I THINK still can retain their previous citizenship.

 

[danielgzepeda]

It does now based on the 1967 case of Afroyim v. Rusk. However US citizens entering the US must enter using their US passports.

I'm not exactly sure about foreigners getting naturalized as US citizens now. They renounce alligiance to other nations but I THINK still can retain their previous citizenship.

You are correct in stating that while traveling and returning from abroad, all US citizens are supposed to use their US passport. I failed to state it in those terms. If the traveler is in the other dual citizenship country, that country and passport takes precedence over the US citizenship and passport. Minimal assistance from the US if requested. Also, supposed double taxation, once from each country.
Citizenship whether obtained by US birth or birth abroad to US parent(s) under certain circumstances, or naturalization is the same while traveling internationally. Renouncing of either citizenship is within that certain secondary country which those are few and limited. Thanks for the assistance.

 

[danielgzepeda]

That was true at one time. My mother-in-law had to renounce her US nationality when she acquired British citizenship after her marriage to an Englishman in the 1950s. But that is no longer the case.

Dual Nationality

U.S. law does not mention dual nationality or require a person to choose one nationality or another.

travel.state.gov

Bradypus, I failed to mention that only while traveling internationally. There are certainly many dual passports citizens within the US. I live by the US border and used to see it daily. Thanks for the clarification.

 

[Kathar1na]

When you have dual nationality and travel between the two countries of your nationalities, then it is only logical that you always present the passport that corresponds to the country (or area) you enter or leave, whether you are obliged to do so or not. Example: You have a British passport and a Spanish passport and you are in St Pancras to take the Eurostar to Paris. At the first border control booth, you show your British passport and, a few meters further, you present your Spanish passport to the French gendarmes. And on your return flight: Spanish passport at Barajas and British passport at Heathrow.

Bear that in mind because with ETIAS will also come the EES - the Entry/Exit system that will register and store your data if you show a non-EU passport to cross a Schengen border. With EES, you will no longer get that little entry or exit stamp in your non-EU passport.

 

[DoughnutANZ]

When you have dual nationality and travel between the two countries of your nationalities, then it is only logical that you always present the passport that corresponds to the country (or area) you enter or leave, whether you are obliged to do so or not.

Yes, when presenting your passport to im/emigration officials. Not so when presenting your passport to the airline check in counter when flying internationally. Especially if the passport for the country that you are leaving does not have visa free entry to your destination country.

The airline cares if you will be allowed to enter your destination country because if you are not then they are responsible for flying you out again whereas emigration officials care not about where you are going.

 

[Stephan the Painter]

@danielgzepeda @Rick of Rick and Peg @Bradypus


All countries have different agreements and treaties with other countries about how to treat dual nationality. That’s the most important thing to understand. There’s no one size fits all set of rules. I know what agreement the United States and Italy have about my dual citizenship‘s. It might be completely different if my second citizenship was from France, or Kazakhstan, or Japan.

That is why sometimes people think there’s different answers to the same question. Because there is, and it depends.

With the Italy and the United States there’s no problems. They both allow this without restrictions. But I had a German national mother, and if I had pursued German citizenship I would’ve had to renounce my US citizenship because Germany didn’t allow dual citizenship, at least at the time I looked into it. That may have changed now.

Again, all countries have different treaties and agreements about how to handle taxation. With Italy and the United States there’s no double taxation. Any US citizen or green card holder is always required to file US taxes. But if you’re a tax resident (183 day plus)of another country, you get a credit for taxes paid there.

Italy does not require me to file taxes as a non-resident.

As @Kathar1na noted, When I’m traveling in the European Union, I’m supposed to use my Italian passport. When I’m traveling in the United States, I’m supposed to use my US passport.

The funny story I told about being asked in Canada was because when I boarded the plane in Italy I wasn’t going to the United States, so I didn’t need to fill any of the requirements for entering the United States.

But once I was in Canada and about to fly into United States, they wanted to see the appropriate passport or visa waiver. Probably someone in Rome screwed up, because since my itinerary ended in the United States, they should’ve checked at that time and noted it that I had the legal right to enter the US.

Most of the time Europeans understand these things, but often in the US, it’s really difficult for people to wrap their head around that my Italian citizenship is governed by a completely different set of laws and obligations than my US citizenship. The United States has nothing to say about my Italian citizenship, and vice versa. For instance, I believe that if I was charged with a crime in the European Union (unlikely!) my United States citizenship would be irrelevant.

To recap, each country has a different treaty with each other country regarding taxation and dual citizenship. You can’t assume because it’s one way with one country that is the same way with every other country. Each situation is unique .

Some of these comments are a bit amusing, assuming I wouldn’t know the rules and laws and regulations governing my own personal citizenship situation!

 

[Former member 91017]

Still waiting just over 12 months, for result of application for Irish citizenship!

They are *so* behind because of the office closing from Oct 2020 to May (IIRC) 2021, and as I recall, my application for citizenship — way back in 2006 — took something in the range of 12-14 months.

 

[Stephan the Painter]

They are *so* behind because of the office closing from Oct 2020 to May (IIRC) 2021, and as I recall, my application for citizenship — way back in 2006 — took something in the range of 12-14 months.

@kirkie
Obviously it’s a different situation, And under Italian law I applied to be “recognized,” as an Italian citizen. I was an Italian citizen the day I was born, but since I was born in the United States and my birth wasn’t registered with the Italian Government, they had no record of me. What I had to do was prove that my ancestry entitled me to it.

But that process, took six years.
Six years.
Did I say that that process took six years?