More than 20 European countries will now charge UK tourists to enter
A lot of things have changed for the UK as a result of Brexit, and now Brits will be charged to enter 26 European countries.
The €7 travel fee for British tourists will be introduced in countries including Spain, France, Portugal and Greece in late 2023, as Euro News reports.
However, the fee will not apply to people over 70 and children under 18.
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The 'European Travel Information and Authorisation System' had initially been scheduled to come into operation next month, but it has been postponed.
The fee will apply to the 26 countries in the Schengen States, who will all need to bring in an official website and/or mobile application.
This will allow travellers to get authorisation to enter in minutes after the system scans their information against EU information systems for borders and security.
However, if further checks are required on a person, it could take up to 30 days for them to be granted entry.
"Only in very exceptional cases could the ETIAS procedure take up to 30 days," the European Commission said.
The ETIAS, plus a person's standard travel documents like their passport, will then be checked at the borders of the 26 Schengen States.
The European Commission said that the new charge will ultimately benefit everyone by, among other advantages, reducing the number of people turned away at borders.
They stressed that it will have a 'minimal effect' on people's travelling.
"Having an Etias means that Britons will be able to skip some of the checks they undergo now, as all their information will be available in their Etias. Border guards won’t even have to ask the questions that they ask now," Besart Bajrami, the founder of SchengenVisaInfo.com, said.
This is the full list of the 26 Schengen States:
- Austria
- Belgium
- The Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Estonia
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Hungary
- Iceland
- Italy
- Latvia
- Liechtenstein
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Malta
- The Netherlands
- Norway
- Poland
- Portugal
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
The European Commission said the new system will help authorities gain identify people who pose potential security risks before they travel.
"Currently, border and law enforcement authorities have little information on travellers who are crossing the EU borders visa-free," they explained.
The European Commission ultimately described the upcoming system as 'simple, fast and visitor friendly', and it will reportedly take around 10 minutes to apply for the VISA.
Travellers are going to be advised to apply for the visa 72 hours in advance, Euro News reports, in case the visa is delayed for any reason.
However, they expect 95 percent of people to be granted the visa without issue.
Emma Guinness