British tourists face an extra €20 (£17) to enter a number of countries across Europe. It comes as the EU has issued major updates on the ETIAS visa-waiver scheme and the Entry/Exit System (EES).
The EES is set to launch on October 12, just before the half-term holiday. It will see tourists’ biometric data, including photographs and fingerprints, collected at the border to boost security. EU countries also hope the move will prevent people from overstaying their welcome.
However, the EU said there will be a “phased implementation” of the scheme until April 9 next year. The EES will then be fully operational at borders across the continent, with all travellers having their data collected.
Meanwhile, the ETIAS visa-waiver will launch between October and December this year. The original fee will nearly treble to around £17, as reported by the Manchester Evening News.
The ETIAS, which applies to “visa-exempt nationals travelling to 30 European countries”, was previously set to be at €7 (around £6). Brits will need the document, which will be valid for up to three years or until the passport expires, for short-term stays lasting up to 90 days within any 180-day period.
Those under the age of 18 or over 70 will be exempt. So will family members of EU citizens and family members of non-EU nationals who have the right to move freely throughout the European Union.
The list of countries Brits will need an ETIAS for are:
- Austria
- Belgium
- Bulgaria
- Croatia
- Cyprus
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Estonia
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Hungary
- Iceland
- Italy
- Latvia
- Liechtenstein
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Malta
- Netherlands
- Norway
- Poland
- Portugal
- Romania
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
As ETIAS is not yet operational, applications are not yet live. However, once they are live, you can apply via the official website www.europa.eu/etias.
You will need to do one application for each traveller, so if you are a parent applying for a child, they would need a separate application to your own.