The tourist agencies have not yet received an official letter about the additional 7 euros for the entry of Macedonian citizens into European countries and for the time being they are only following the initial information from the media. Some of them told "Sloboden Pechat" that they still do not know what information a passenger from Macedonia will have to submit to the EU countries from November 10 this year for the form they introduced, but they say that in addition to the passengers, they will also be given the work got more complicated.

- We have yet to see what the entry/exit system (EES) looks like, i.e. records of entry into the 30 countries for travelers who do not need a visa to enter the European Union - say the tour operators. That system or record is free as provided by the EU and is the first step or trial period for the introduction of permission to access member countries through the European Information and Authorization System (ETIAS) next spring - say a travel agency.

Tourism workers are hoping to get the information they need in time to warn customers, especially those traveling to Greece.
Last year, Greece was visited by 1,1 million tourists from Macedonia, a number that is slightly less than double compared to 2022, according to data from the Institute of the Association of Greek Tourist Businesses (INSETE). This time, Macedonia is also among the first 15 countries in terms of the number of tourists and remains unchanged at the 11th position, although the number of visitors from our country has increased drastically.

- We are still waiting for an official notification, so we do not have detailed information on how the filling of the documentation will take place and whether this payment will actually start. And we are in doubt because there are more open questions, which of course must be answered before the season. If such a fee is introduced, it is clear that it will be an additional cost for all those who will travel. It is even worse that it will coincide with the summer holidays, for which there is the greatest interest from our citizens - say some of the travel agencies contacted by "Sloboden Pechat".

The regulation for this permit will apply from May 2025 for travel to a total of 30 European countries: for all EU members, except Ireland and Cyprus, as well as Liechtenstein, Norway, Iceland and Switzerland. The regulation will apply to travelers from 60 countries, including the United States, Australia, Great Britain, Ukraine, Japan, Brazil, Argentina, as well as the countries of the Western Balkans - Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia and Albania. Tourism workers fear that detention at all border crossings, whether on land, water or at the airport, will take longer than before, as fingers and faces need to be scanned for entry records, so the question is whether all travelers can easily they find their way, listening to the instructions.

ETIAS has been talked about for 8 years

The President of the Assembly of the National Association of Travel Agencies (JUTA) of Serbia, Vladimir Vlaho, said that they have been trying to introduce the ETIAS permit for eight years and that every year is the "same story", but it has not been implemented so far.

- We still do not have a position on whether the agencies will charge if we provide passengers with a service for filling out registration forms or permits for ETIAS - said Vlaho for the Beta agency. The new reporting rule, which will apply from November 10, is, as European officials explained, "a matter of recording, not of verification". When entering 30 European countries, the passenger's name, passport type, biometric data such as fingerprints and facial photographs, as well as the dates and places of entry and exit will be registered. Once completed, the form will be valid for three years, but will be checked every time you cross the border, so there will be no need to stamp your passport. An exception among the members of the European Union will be Cyprus and Ireland, where the stamp on the passports will remain valid.

The ETIAS approval will be valid for an unlimited number of entries into the EU within three years.