Finally, some clarity regarding at least one aspect of Brexit: British travellers will have to pay €7 (£6.30) to visit the EU once the UK leaves, the European Commission has said today.
Instead of a visa, British travellers will be required to apply and pay for a new document called an ETIAS (European Travel Information and Authorization System) at a cost of €7 every three years.
The ETIAS will be a visa waiver document similar to the ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorization), which British travellers have to apply for before visiting the US.
The European Commission's Natasha Bertaud described ETIAS as a "simple form" that is "way cheaper" than an ESTA – the latter costs $14 (£11.20) every two years.
AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT
The European Commission describes the new document, which is expected to be introduced in 2021, as a "necessary and small procedural step" which will take travellers no more than 10 minutes to complete. Around 95% of applications will be approved automatically, the Commission says, with the majority of travellers finding out their outcome in a matter of minutes.
Travellers under the age of 18 and over the age of 70 will be exempt, which leaves around 40 million British citizens liable to apply for one.
According to 2017 statistics, nine of the 10 most visited countries by British tourists are in the EU. Spain alone attracted 15.9 million visits by UK residents in 2017.
"This proposal is entirely conditional upon the UK also granting reciprocal and non-discriminatory visa-free travel for all EU Member States, in line with the principle of visa reciprocity," the European Commission says in a press release. "The UK government has declared its intention not to require a visa from citizens of the EU27 Member States for short stays for the purposes of tourism and business."
British travellers won't be alone in having to apply for an ETIAS from 2021. The document will also be a requirement for travellers from 61 non-EU countries, including the US and Australia, who are currently permitted to travel within the EU for 90 days without a visa.
The government has previously said that British travellers will be given new, blue passports after Brexit.