Visas and Passports

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Dear Globetrotter:

Welcome to the 534th issue of your monthly foreign-travel magazine.

Military clashes between Azerbaijan and Armenia began on July 11 along a disputed border region, Nagorno-Karabakh, resulting in the deaths of 11 Azeri troops and at least two Armenian troops. Both sides have accused the other of shelling towns near the border, with at least one Azeri civilian killed.

The two countries engaged in a war over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh territory in the 1990s, when both countries achieved independence after the fall of the Soviet Union. The territory is recognized as part of Azerbaijan by the UN but is autonomously controlled by ethnic Armenians.

On June 2, for a second time, the European Commission delayed the date for the implementation of the European Travel Information & Authorization System, or ETIAS (June ’20, pg. 4).

North Americans will need to apply for ETIAS authorization (and provide certain biographic information) before traveling to Europe. The starting date, originally delayed to mid-2021, has now been pushed back to “late 2022” due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Dear Globetrotter:

Welcome to the 533rd issue of your monthly foreign-travel magazine.

Indian and Chinese soldiers skirmished along a disputed border in the Ladakh region of Kashmir on June 15. At least 20 Indian soldiers were killed and 45 Chinese soldiers were killed or injured (China has not released official numbers of casualties). It was the first casualties from military actions between the two countries along that border in 45 years. According to both countries, no firearms were used in the fighting, as a treaty between them bans guns from the region.

Angry over defectors in South Korea floating balloons carrying literature over the border, North Korea destroyed most avenues of communication with South Korea, severing hotlines on June 8 and then, on June 16, blowing up a joint liaison office in the city of Kaesong, near the border with South Korea. The office had been built by South Korea in 2018 as a place to hold high-level meetings between the two countries.

An interactive world map showing COVID-19-related border restrictions for almost every country and territory has been created by the International Air Transport Association (IATA). Visit www.iatatravelcentre.com/international-travel-document-news/1580226297.htm.

Clicking on a country will reveal the most up-to-date information on its travel restrictions, which can include COVID-19 testing, quarantining and entry bans on travelers from specific countries. This map does not include any information on future border openings, even if one has been scheduled.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has made changes in airport security line procedures.

Visual cues placed on the floor will help passengers follow social-distancing rules. Facial covering is recommended but not required. (However, some airlines require it on board.)
At the travel document podiums, passengers will scan their boarding passes on the readers themselves, then hold them up for the TSA officers to visually inspect them.