A passenger arrives to a terminal at Ben Gurion international airport before Israel bans international flights, January 25, 2021. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun

i24 News – Israelis will need to obtain travel authorization in order to visit European nations starting May 2023, due to the implementation of a new system that aims to limit risks posed by travelers from visa-exempt states.

Under the initiative, which is known as the European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS), visitors must submit applications online for approval and pay a fee of around seven dollars to travel.

The largely automated system aims to counter security risks, identify irregular migration, and uncover high epidemic threats among visitors from visa-free countries, according to the European Commission.

The European Commission hopes that the rollout of ETIAS will cut down on bureaucracy, speed up border checks, help officials evaluate threats, and reduce the number of people refused entry at border crossing points.

While most travelers will be granted the permit minutes after submitting their applications, travel authorization could be delayed by up to 30 days in some instances where additional security checks are required.

With the implementation of ETIAS, international visitors from 63 countries — including Israel, the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Japan, and a number of other nations — will be required to obtain the mandatory authorization before traveling to the region.