Concerns have been raised over the European Travel Information and Authorisation System as experts fear scammers may take advantage of the new visa rules.
The Etias is due to open from November 2023 and will allow Brits to freely travel through 30 European countries for up to 90 days to engage in tourism, transit or business. It will cost €7 - or around £6 - and can be applied for online.
However, as reported by the Mirror, there are already concerns that the new visa waiver could lead to attempted fraud. Holidaymakers looking to apply for their Etias may be targeted by scammers engaging in "abusive practices", new EU guidance suggests.
According to the documents, seen by The Times, there could be "attempts to mislead applicants into believing that their site is the official channel for submitting an Etias application".
It adds: "This may give the false impression that the additional fee charged by the commercial intermediary is a mandatory part of the application process."
The EU has already announced that third-party companies will be able to sell the visa waivers, and many websites have already been set up with 'Etias' in their domain name. There are concerns that these companies may add on additional fees for services which are not legally required - such as document checks.
Guy Hobbs, Which? Travel expert, said: "The European Commission has promised that the vast majority of travellers will receive their Etias visa waiver within minutes, so travellers should be very wary of third-party sites promising to fast-track applications for a fee.
"People should also ignore unsolicited calls or messages inviting them to apply."
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