From May next year, citizens of Great Britain and some other countries, such as primarily citizens of the Western Balkans, i.e. Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, as well as Moldova and Ukraine, will have to pay a seven-euro visa fee to enter the Schengen area.
European Commissioner for Home Affairs Ilva Johansson has confirmed that the European Travel Information and Authorization System (Etias), under which British and other citizens will have to apply for a visa waiver before entering the EU, is likely to come into force from May next year.
This will also apply to citizens of other countries that do not need visas to enter the EU, such as the USA, Australia and Canada, the Guardian reports.
The Etias system will require non-EU nationals to apply for a seven-euro travel permit before entering the Schengen area, which includes the 29 EU members, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. The permit will last for three years, i.e. until the passenger’s passport expires.
Travelers under 18 and over 70 will be exempt, and those traveling from the UK to Ireland or Cyprus will not need to apply for a permit as those two countries are not part of the Schengen area.
Travelers will need to provide personal information online, such as address and employment, as well as criminal records and contact information in the country of destination. Most requests are expected to be approved within minutes, but some decisions could take up to 72 hours, according to the Guardian.
In the meantime, the EU confirmed that on November 10, i.e. half a year before the implementation of the Etias system, after several delays, the entry and exit system (EES) for the countries of the Schengen area will start operating.
EES will require passengers to provide biometric data such as fingerprints and facial images at the border. It is part of measures aimed at making it harder for criminals or terrorists to enter the EU with fake passports. According to the first forecasts, the system should have been operational as early as 2022.
