What is ETIAS and why UK tourists will need to pay to go to the EU
| Published date | 22 June 2022 |
| Publication title | EdinburghLive (Scotland) |
ETIAS is set to launch next year having been first proposed back in 2016. This was before the UK had voted to leave the EU and was later confirmed in 2018.
With the scheme set to launch in 2023, applicants will be changed a fee of around £6 and will apply to applicants aged between 18 and 70. According to Chronical Live, UK passport holders will not need a visa to visit EU Schengen zone countries as tourists however they may be turned away at the border if their ETIAS application is not approved. In effect, it is similar to the ESTA visa waiver scheme Brits use to travel to the USA.
The EU's ETIAS website states: "ETIAS will be a largely automated IT system created to identify security, irregular migration or high epidemic risks posed by visa-exempt visitors travelling to the Schengen States, whilst at the same time facilitate crossing borders for the vast majority of travellers who do not pose such risks. Non-EU nationals who do not need a visa to travel to the Schengen area will have to apply for a travel authorisation through the ETIAS system prior to their trip."
So what is this all about and what else should you know?
When will ETIAS come into force?
ETIAS is expected to be in operation by May 2023 however an EU spokesperson told Chronicle Live it could come in earlier adding: "According to current planning, this will apply as of the end of 2022," they said. There could be a grace period when the system is first implemented.
What is ETIAS and why will UK passport holders need to pay for a visa waiver to go to the EU?
ETIAS is a security check that non-EU nationals who don't need visas to visit the EU will have to complete before travelling to countries in the Schengen zone, countries applying to join Schengen, and four non-EU states that are in the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) and thus considered part of the Schengen zone. UK passport holders are among the nationals who will have to use the scheme to travel.
This means that UK passport holders who are not nationals or residents of an EU, Schengen or EFTA country will need to pay for and pass an ETIAS check in order to travel to the Schengen area of mainland Europe, and other countries like Iceland and Norway however one will not be required to...
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