More than 20 European countries set to charge UK tourists to enter
16 August 2022, 12:50
Extremely low water levels exposed as drought hits England
There will be a charge for UK tourists travelling to European destinations like Spain, Greece and Portugal next year.
If you’re heading on holiday to Europe next year, you might be charged an extra €7 to enter.
The travel fee for British tourists will be introduced in 26 countries in the Schengen States, but won’t apply to people over 70 and children under 18.
Included in this area are summer hotspots such as Spain, France, Portugal and Greece in late 2023.
- Warning issued to anyone who still has a red passport
- Sleeping naked will actually make you hotter at night, expert claims
- Holiday hotspot in Italy bans bikinis with £425 fine
This 'European Travel Information and Authorisation System' was due to come into force next month, but it has now been postponed.
Tourists will have to get authorisation before they travel with systems that scan information against EU information systems for borders and security.
This will usually be granted in a few minutes, but it could take up to 30 days if checks need to be done in person.
The ETIAS will then be checked at the borders of the 26 Schengen States.
According to the European Commission, 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."
They added it will help border checks and avoid delays for travellers at borders and will also ‘substantially reduce the number of refusals of entry at border crossing points.’
According to The Guardian, ‘six-month transition period’ will be followed by ‘a grace period of unknown length’.
During this time, those crossing the EU border for the first time ‘will be given some leeway’.
This is the full list of the 26 Schengen States:
- Austria
- Belgium
- 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
