Brits travelling to EU nations will need a permit to enter 27 countries under a new system coming into effect from November. According to the ‘Majorca Daily Bulletin’, Grup Serra’s British weekly newspaper, under the new European Travel Information Authorisation System (ETIAS), UK nationals will have to apply and pay for a three-year permit.
The Foreign Office has also confirmed the development to Spain-based local newspaper, Ultima Hora.
It also stated the permit might be refused in extreme cases.
As a part of the new system, Brits will have to register on the website and make the payment in advance via the ETIAS system before travelling.
The cost of applying for the permit would be around seven euros.
However, travellers under the age of 18 or over the age of 70 will not need to pay the fee, but those between 18 and 70 will be eligible.
The ETIAS application will be processed and a decision will be given within minutes.
Under the new system, British citizens will have to scan their passports and other documents to self-service machines each time they want to cross the external EU border.
However, the process will exclude all EU residents and those who are on long-term visas.
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The Government claims this application is not a visa, given its speedy processing and cost.
Short-stay Schengen visas, for example – intended for foreign tourists who want to visit the EU, with a maximum stay of 90 days – have a general cost of 80 euros.
Additional reporting by Maria Ortega