British travellers jetting off on holidays and business trips face extra red tape with a new travel rule for going to EU countries. ETIAS [European Travel Information and Authorisation Scheme] is a new permit that is being introduced for those crossing borders into Europe and will be linked to your passport.
There are 58 countries that are required to have a valid ETIAS and UK nationals are among those required if they travel to any of the European countries requiring ETIAS for a short-term stay. UK nationals who wish to stay longer must meet the entry requirements in accordance with national or EU migration law, such as holding a visa or residence permit, reports Birmingham Live.
The European Union says an ETIAS is valid for up to three years or until the passport expires, whichever comes first. If you get a new passport, you need to get a new ETIAS permit as well. And there are 58 countries where people will need to have an ETIAS if going on a trip to Europe, which we have detailed below.
Have you experienced problems with potholes on Nottinghamshire's roads? Let us know here.
With a valid ETIAS permit, you can enter the territory of the specified European countries as often as you want for short-term stays - normally up to 90 days in any 180-day period. But it doesn't guarantee entry. When you arrive, a border guard will ask to see your passport and other documents and verify that you meet the entry conditions.
The countries where people will need to get an ETIAS are as follows:
- Albania
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Argentina
- Australia
- Bahamas
- Barbados
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Brazil
- Brunei
- Canada
- Chile
- Colombia
- Costa Rica
- Dominica
- El Salvador
- Georgia
- Grenada
- Guatemala
- Honduras
- Hong Kong
- Israel
- Japan
- Kiribati
- Macao
- Malaysia
- Marshall Islands
- Mauritius
- Mexico
- Micronesia
- Moldova
- Montenegro
- New Zealand
- Nicaragua
- North Macedonia
- Palau
- Panama
- Paraguay
- Peru
- Saint Kitts and Nevis
- Saint Lucia
- Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
- Samoa
- Serbia
- Seychelles
- Singapore
- Solomon Islands
- South Korea
- Taiwan
- Timor Leste
- Tonga
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Tuvalu
- Ukraine
- United Arab Emirates
- United Kingdom
- United States of America
- Uruguay
- Venezuela
SchengenVisaInfo said: "Now that Brexit is finalised, the UK is no longer a part of the EU. Even though British citizens can still enter visa-free in other EU countries, they must register for ETIAS when it's made active. Until the launching of the system, more countries might be added to the list, but at the moment, all citizens of the above-mentioned countries will be obliged to obtain ETIAS authorization before entering any EU country."
The European Commission urged people to apply for an ETIAS travel authorisation well in advance of their planned journey in case additional evidence or an interview is required before it is approved. An exact date for the launch of the ETIAS scheme has not been announced but it's expected to start in 2024.
Holidaymakers will need to apply online and pay a fee of €7 (around £6) before travelling, according to reports. The scheme was originally due to start in 2021, but the European authorities have so far postponed the scheme’s launch date four times - most recently to 2024.
