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Brits to pay €7 fee for travel to Schengen area after Brexit

Britons travelling to the European Schengen area from 2021 will have to pay €7 (£6.29) for visa-free travel from 2021, say reports.

Sky News said the post-Brexit move was confirmed by the European Commission in response to a question to its President Jean Claude-Juncker.

As well as paying the fee, UK citizens will need to pre-register for the three-year electronic visa waiver.

The European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) will apply to UK nationals and other visa-free third country nationals.

The EU has already begun to introduce the system which preauthorises the entry of citizens from a special list of countries who do not require full visas.

“Once ETIAS enters into operation, all visa-exempt non-EU nationals who plan to travel to the Schengen area will have to apply via ETIAS,” a European Commission source told Sky News.

The special list 61 of countries also includes the US, Japan and Australia.

Nationals from these 61 countries can travel within the EU’s Schengen zone – the area where people can travel without border checks – for up to 90 days without a visa.

The BBC said: “Because of the migrant crisis and security concerns over terrorism, the EU has decided to bring in more controls over the countries on this special list.

“So it is introducing the ETIAS…which is Europe’s version of the United States’ $14 ESTA, although as the EU Commission points out, it is ‘way cheaper’.”

It is not a visa but a travel requirement for anyone on that list of 61 countries who are coming to the EU for business, tourism, medical or transit-related reasons for up to 90 days.

Under the Brexit deal, EU citizens and UK nationals will continue to be able to travel freely with a passport or identity card until the end of the transition period in 2020.

The BBC said the form will take no more than 10 minutes to fill out, and anyone between the ages of 18 and 70 must pay the fee.

The details needed for the application form will include passport information, education and work experience, as well as background questions about criminal records or medical conditions.

Applicants must also give details of the first EU country they intend to visit.

MORE: European Parliament approves ETIAS

E-travel authorisation on way for UK, Irish visitors

European visas considered for Brits post Brexit

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