British travellers looking to travel to any countries in the Schengen area such as Spain, Germany, France and Portugal, will soon have to pay a fee for a mandatory online security check.
The fee will be part of the new European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS), an IT system that is designed to pre-screen travellers looking to enter any Schengen area countries.
The 26 Schengen states are Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.
Those looking to enter these countries will need both their passport and a valid ETIAS check.
It will cost €7 (£6) to apply for an ETIAS security check. However, once you’ve paid for the check it will last for three years or until your passport attached to the check expires.
The ETIAS says the system is being introduced to “increase security across the Schengen Area” and that it is expected that most applications made by UK nationals will be approved at this stage.
It had been due to be up and running by next month, but the launch has been delayed until November 2023.
The EU Commission said: “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.
“The information gathered via ETIAS will allow, in full respect of fundamental rights and data protection principles, for advance verification of potential security, irregular migration of high epidemic risks.
“After filling in an online application form, the system will conduct checks against EU information systems for borders and security and, in the vast majority of cases, issue a travel authorisation within minutes.
“In limited cases, where further checks on the traveller are needed, the issuing of the travel authorisation could take up to 30 days.
“The ETIAS travel authorisation will be a mandatory pre-condition for entry to the Schengen States.
“It will be checked together with the travel documents by the border guards when crossing the EU border.”
You can find out more about the ETIAS, when you need it and why it is being introduced by clicking here.
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