'The UK is not being picked on by the EU. The rule applies to all.'
A date has been confirmed when British travellers will have to pay a visa-waiver fee to enter EU countries following Brexit. The much-delayed Electronic Travel Information and Authorisation System (Etias) is set to launch by May 2025 at the latest.
Non-EU citizens will be required to register and pay a £6 fee to enter the Schengen Area, which includes most EU countries. Additionally, visitors from outside the EU will need to provide information about previous trips, their employment, and their address, along with biometric data such as a photo and fingerprints.
Etias authorisation will be valid for three years and will allow visitors to stay in the EU for up to 90 days within a 180-day period, maintaining the current rule.
The Etias requirements will follow the introduction of the long-awaited Entry Exit System (EES) on November 10. This system will require travellers from the UK and other non-EU countries to provide biometric information, including fingerprints and facial scans, at the border. Government agencies and tourism industry representatives have warned that the EES could cause long queues for ferry passengers traveling from Dover to Calais.
Unsurprisingly, news of the new systems, most notably the £6 visa waiver fee, sparked outrage among Brexiteers.
‘Fresh blow for holidaymakers as Brussels confirms Brits will need £6 ‘visa waiver’ when travelling to Europe next summer,’ headlined the pro-Brexit Daily Mail.
The article outlines how the new procedures, Etias and EES, are expected to add “an extra two or three minutes to the average security check time for passengers.” It quotes Rob Burgess, founder of the frequent flyer website Head for Points, who told MailOnline: “The key issues are, frankly, that it’s not well publicised and people don’t know that they’re going to have to apply for a visa waiver before they travel to Europe. Secondly, the requirement to be fingerprinted and photographed on your first visit to Europe after you’ve activated your Etias is going to cause unbelievable problems.”
The anti-EU Express took a similar sensationalist ‘blame-it-on-the-EU’ approach with its headline: ‘Greece, Spain and Italy prepare to launch £6 visa that will hit British tourists,’ The article claims the new European travel rules will “hit Brits in the pocket.”
“Since Brexit, there have been several changes to the way that UK citizens travel – for example, standing in line as they go through border control and the necessity to have their passports stamped. Soon though, saying goodbye to the bloc will mean that British nationals must pay for a special visa when they travel to a member EU state,” the report continued.
Response to the articles was critical, with many readers pointing to the irony and hypocrisy of the headlines.
Journalist Graham Lambert shared his thoughts on X: “There seems to be a lot of confused information sharing on this subject, but just a reminder that more than 60 non EU countries, including the UK, will have to pay £6 for an EU visa waiver from winter 2025. The UK is not being picked on by the EU. The rule applies to all.”
“Yet another “Brexit benefit” that the liars behind Brexit didn’t mention. No doubt Farage will blame the EU for something to which we agreed when we were members which is scheme for checking people entering the EU like that for the USA The £6 charge will be a penalty for Brexit,” wrote Lib Dem Peer Chris Rennard.
One Express reader shared their view on the whole Brexit situation, writing: “Brexit was always about a few Brexit spivs getting rich quick, then having more unchecked power to control and tax us.
“We the people have lost golden rights to travel freely, work and live in the many beautiful countries of Europe. And to make it worse, taxes have risen to record levels to counterbalance the huge loss in trade receipts while illegal immigration has soared – partly down to our loss of the right to return migrants under the former Dublin Agreement, and partly because Europe is happy to wave them on out of Europe.
“Brexit has been a lose-lose for 99.9% of British people.”
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