British Travellers Will Have To Pay A Fee To Visit Spain From 2023
Spain News
Published: 30 May 2022 15:24 CET
British adults between the ages of 18 and 70 years will need a visa to travel to Spain and the rest of Europe from 2023.
The new ETIAS visa (European Travel Information and Authorisation System) is being introduced across the whole of Europe next year. This will mean that anyone who falls into the above age bracket, wishing to travel to a European country for less than 90 days in any 180 day period, will be required to apply for a visa online. This must be done at least 96 hours before departure.
The visa, which will become available towards the end of this year, will be valid for 3 years and will allow an unlimited amount of entries.
The European Commission has confirmed that UK travellers will need the new visa in order to travel to all EU countries. Since the UK is no longer a member of the EU, British citizens do not get to enjoy the perks of being an EU member, so must abide by the same travel rules as non-EU travellers.
British citizens, along with other visa-exempt third countries such as Canada and the USA, will need to complete the short ETIAS online application form, which should only take about 10 minutes to complete.
A range of information will need to be entered, including name, address, passport details, history of health, any past criminal convictions and recent travel information. Along with the information, a small ETIAS fee of seven euros will be asked to cover the cost of processing the application.
An ETIAS visa is not exactly a visa, it is an electronic travel permit that has been put in place to increase security and enforcement of the borders of Schengen countries. It will enable the authorities to protect the Schengen Area in terms of health, international crime and terrorism.
All applicants will be screened using security databases such as Interpol and Europol. This will allow the authorities to identify people who pose a potential threat and prevent them from entering Europe.
The UK is one of 61 countries whose citizens will need to apply for an ETIAS from the end of 2022 before travelling to EU countries.
The European Commission has confirmed that “the Entry/Exit System will not apply to non-EU citizens holding a residence document or a residence permit. Their personal data will not be registered in the Entry/Exit System.”
“It is enough if holders of such documents present them to the border guards to prove their status.”
The EU has confirmed that all British applicants who are under the age of 18 and over the age of 70, will not have to pay for an ETIAS visa waiver.
Source
https://www.etias.info/british-pay-fee-visit-europe-after-brexit/
https://euronewssource.com/uk-travellers-will-have-to-pay-to-enter-spain-next-year/
