British tourists will soon be made to pay an entry fee when heading into Europe. The scheme is set to be introduced later this year where non-EU citizens will have to pay.
The new scheme will mean that British holidaymakers have to fill out an online application via the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) which comes with a fee. It will have to be filled out at least 96 hours before departing into Europe but is said to not take more than 10 minutes to complete.
Yorkshire Live reports that you will be asked to provide information including identity, passport, education, job, recent travel and criminal convictions. People under 18 or over 70 will be exempt from having to fill in the form.
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This new electronic travel permit aims to improve security and in the vast majority of cases, will be issued within minutes. In some instances where further checks are needed, the authorisation could take up to 30 days.
The ETIAS travel authorisation will be a mandatory pre-condition for entry to the Schengen States and will be checked together with travel documents when crossing the EU border. The permit will be valid for three years and for multiple trips to Europe and will cost €7 (£6).
Airlines will also be required to check the permit before allowing passengers to board the plane. ETIAS will become mandatory in May 2023 but there will be a six month transition period to allow travellers to become familiar with the new entry requirements.
It is estimated that at least 95 per cent of ETIAS applications will be successful. Reasons for rejecting an application could be if the document has been reported as stolen, the person poses a security or epidemic risk or if there is reasonable doubt about information supplied.
