While the European Union seems to be in a right mess when it comes to the new travel visas for Britons wishing to travel to Mallorca and other destinations in EU member states with the introduction date of the new ETIAS system being delayed yet again, which is good news for British travellers next year, when it was due to have finally been rolled out, an inquiry has been launched into the planned automated EU Entry/Exit System which automatically scans passports.
The Council of the European Union recently confirmed that the proposed start date of next year won’t happen due to technical issues with the equipment. Now it has been officially postponed until 2025 - and is likely to go live in May that year.
Website SchengenVisaInfo.com reported that an EU official said: “We had initially hoped for the EES to become operational by the end of this year or, at the latest, the beginning of the next year. Due to unforeseen delays, it has become evident that this timeline is unattainable. As a result, the implementation of the ETIAS has been rescheduled to May 2025, with the possibility of further postponement.”
However, an inquiry has been launched into the new automated £6 EU Entry/Exit System amid ‘alarming’ concerns that it could cause massive disruption.
Britons heading to destinations like Spain, Italy, France and Portugal will soon need the entry document to visit - and they have been warned that the process to get ETIAS can take around 30 days - when it is finally brought in. It will have to be shown at the same time as the new electronic system scans the passport automatically.