Britons will have to pay seven euros for a visa to visit European holiday destinations such as the Balearics from next year but if they do not or fail to follow the new procedures, they may be refused entry into Spain (the Balearics) and other top European destinations.
Since Brexit, UK citizens have not needed a visa to visit any EU member states and passengers have just been using their British passport.
But from the end of 2022, UK travellers will need an ETIAS visa waiver to enter EU countries.
Everyone visiting countries in the Schengen zone must apply for the document when the scheme is introduced.
The European Commission has confirmed that its Travel Information and Authorisation System will apply to UK visitors.
Once ETIAS is in place, non-EU citizens travelling to the Schengen area who are exempt from the visa requirement will need to register and obtain authorisation before travelling.
The system will cross-check travellers against EU information systems for internal security, borders and migration before their trip, helping to identify ahead of time people who may pose a risk to security or health, as well as compliance with migration rules.
The set-up of ETIAS forms part of the EU’s ongoing work to put in place a state-of-the-art external border management system and making sure that information systems work together in an intelligent and targeted way.
“ETIAS will not change which non-EU countries are subject to a visa requirement and will also not introduce a new visa requirement for nationals of countries that are visa-exempt,” the Commission clarifies.
Visa-exempt non-EU nationals will only need a few minutes to fill in an online application which in a vast majority of cases (expected to be over 95 per cent) will result in automatic approval.
The process is claimed to be simple, fast and affordable: the ETIAS authorisation will cost €7, which will be a one-off fee, and will be valid for 3 years and for multiple entries.
But, British passport holders could be turned away at borders if their ETIAS application is not approved, once the scheme is implemented. And there are a number of reasons people could see their application denied.
According to Schengen Visa Info, applications may be turned down on the following grounds:
The person applying has used a travel document that is reported as lost, stolen, misappropriated or invalidated in the Schengen Information System – SIS II.
The applicant poses a security risk for the citizens and travellers of the Schengen Area.
The applicant poses an illegal immigration risk.
The applicant poses a high epidemic risk.
An applicant is a person for whom there is an existing alert in SIS for the purpose of refusing entry and stay.
The applicant fails to reply to a request for extra information or documentation within the deadline given.
The applicant fails to attend an extra interview when required.
A travel authorisation can also be rejected in cases where there are reasonable and serious doubts about the authenticity of the information given and the supporting documents submitted by the person applying.
The ETIAS plan was originally shelved in 2016, before the UK voted to leave the EU.
It is being brought in, in part, to avoid the need for more complex visas - though travellers who need visas to enter the EU will still require them.
There will also be questions on a person’s criminal record and if they have ever been asked to leave an EU country by officials.
Airlines will be expected to check that a person has been authorised to travel to the EU under the ETIAS scheme.
Once accepted, it will allow British passengers entry into the Schengen area multiple times over a three-year period.
The scheme is expected to cover 60 countries, including the UK, Australia and the US.
“ETIAS will not change which non-EU countries are subject to a visa requirement and will also not introduce a new visa requirement for nationals of countries that are visa-exempt,” the proposal says.