British people will soon have to pay if they want to head on holidays to 30 countries in Europe.
Since the UK left the European Union its people have been able to travel to member states without any extra cost.
The only real differences have included your travel documents stamped twice, and needing to queue in a different line at border control - and of course changes in passport rules which have seen some Brits caught out and unable to board flights.
Another difference will be added to that list by the end of this year.
Brits and other travellers from non-EU countries were set to be charged €7 (£5.92) for a visa-waiver form ahead of entry to member countries from next year.
The European travel information and authorisation system ( ETIAS ) is applied to non-EU citizens from around 60 countries that have visa-free travel within the EU.
ETIAS, which is similar to the US ESTA scheme, will require non-EU tourists to fill in a form and pay £5.93 before entering the passport-free zone in Europe..
Everyone aged from 18 to 70 will need to pay the fee to holiday in countries like France, Germany and Italy, but each application will last for three years.
It’s believed that approval on the scheme should take just a few minutes in most cases.
The system was originally expected to start at the end of 2022, but was delayed until May 2023.
Its official website currently says that the system is likely to come into force from mid to late 2023.
An ETIAS form will be required to enter all countries in the EU passport-free zone – even non EU countries like Bulgaria, Romania and Croatia.
Besart Bajrami, founder of SchengenVisaInfo.com, said: “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.”
The countries affected are:
- Austria
- Belgium
- Croatia
- 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
Plus, three other EU countries
- Cyprus
- Bulgaria
- Romania
Family members of EU citizens or of non-EU nationals who have the right to move freely throughout the EU will be exempt.
Post-Brexit rules have been causing issues for some British people this year.
Many people have found themselves unable to travel to EU member countries because of new rules which include your passport needing to be issued within 10 years of travel, and also having three months left following your holiday.
Meanwhile Brits living in Portugal have been denied entry to certain countries due to confusion over identity cards.
