Travel Rules for Americans in 2025: What You Need to Know

Travel Requirements Americans Should Know as of March 21, 2025  

~ from Allianz Travel Insurance

 
Starting April 10, 2025, visitors to Brazil must pay an $81 fee for an e-visa.  If you plan to travel to the UK, EU, Brazil and a few other tourist destinations in 2025, make sure you are aware of new travel 
requirements that go into effect this year. The slate of new rules for travelers are meant to increase border security, manage and track tourism, protect environmental and national interests and reduce the impacts of over-tourism.  For travelers, the new requirements mean more bureaucratic hurdles, but with awareness and proper planning, you can be prepared. Here is the latest international travel requirements worldwide in 2025. 

The United Kingdom: As of Jan. 8, 2025, visitors to the UK for short-term stays of up to six months must register for Electronic Travel Authorization. The registration costs £10 and most clearances are issued in three working days. You will need a photo for the application. 

Brazil: Visitors to Brazil must pay a fee amounting to $81 for an e-visa, starting April 10. The visa is good for ten years, according to the U.S. Embassy and Consulates in Brazil. You will need a photo for the application. 

Spain: As of December 2024, Spain requires visitors to provide detailed personal information when checking in at their accommodations. Visitors must share details such as home and email addresses, phone numbers, and information about the familial ties within travel groups. The new rules are meant to prevent organized crime but have faced criticism from Spain’s leading hotel association CEHAT due to the administrative burden the rule puts on hoteliers and the potential for privacy protection issues. 

Italy: Starting January 10, applicants for long-term visas — type D visas — must undergo fingerprinting at Italian consulates. 

France: Starting in November 2024 through April 2025, France will require non-EU citizens to present passports at major border crossings. French authorities cited smuggling, violence and increased threats to public safety as the reason for the increased border patrols. France is also instituting new environmental protocols that will impact travelers driving in France. As of January, older vehicles, which produce greater emissions, are banned from Paris’s inner suburbs. Tourists driving in France are advised to obtain Crit’Air stickers to comply with emission regulations. 

Real I.D in the US: U.S. citizens and permanent residents flying domestically will be required to have a form of identification compliant with Real ID standards starting on May 7, 2027. Eligible forms of 
identification include a driver’s license, passport, or passport card. 

Looking toward next year for ETIAS for EU travel: The rollout of the new European Travel and Information Authorization System (ETIAS) system was one of the biggest changes in travel expected this 
year. However, its rollout has been delayed until the last quarter of 2026. The start date for the initiative has been delayed several times. ETIAS was most recently expected to be operational early this 
year.  ETIAS will require tourists from the United States and other visa-exempt nations to register and pay a small fee before visiting the Schengen zone, which includes the European Union and four non-EU countries: Iceland, Lichtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. In most cases, approval is given within minutes and emailed to you. Be sure to have your passport with you when you apply; the application will require your passport number and expiration date. ETIAS authorization will be valid for an unlimited number of entries into the Schengen zone over three years. However, visiting travelers won’t be able to stay for more than 90 days within every 180-day period. Longer stays will require a visa.   

Online renewal for U.S. passports is a change you may have missed last year that makes travel easier. As of September, travelers have the choice to renew their passport online or through the mail.