Europe is a travel hotspot for Britons thanks to cheap flights and short journey times. However, while the country has been focussed on Brexit, other changes to border rules across the continent have been put in place. British travellers will now face new passport and visa rules at the borders of the six European states that make up the Schengen Area. A visa expert spoke with express.co.uk to explain more.
The Schengen Area is made up of countries including Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.
The EU has been working on developing new security systems and updating its current procedures.
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It is hoped these changes will provide easier and safer travel for both citizen and third-country nationals.
Shkurta Januzi, News Editor from VisaGuide.World, states: “Seven EU systems and databases will be introduced or updated by 2022, enabling the EU to keep track of each person that comes and leaves, to know who is planning to travel to the area beforehand, and to permit entry only for non-suspicious travelers, so that the block will be at least one step ahead of every individual or group planning to disturb its security.”
One of the biggest changes to hit UK nationals will be the need to apply for a new type of ‘visa’ when visiting Schengen states.
An expert from SchenganVisa.com explains: “Despite many threats by high EU officials that the EU would impose short-term visas in case it crashed out without an agreement, this is definitely not going to happen.
“In the last deal on short term travelling, UK and the EU agreed not to impose visas on each other’s citizens, under the condition of reciprocity, and ever since nothing has changed yet.
“However, travelling to the EU will not be nearly as simple as it is now for Britons. Passport rules and waiting lines may have been foreseen by many. But what no one has seen coming, is the new plan of the EU which is to introduce a travel authorisation for the nationals of all 62 non-EU/non-Schengen countries that have a Schengen visa-free agreement with the EU.
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“The new scheme, supposed to come into force starting from January 2021 is called the European Travel Information and Authorisation System, and will for sure apply to UK passport holders, as of that date.
“Shortly known as the ETIAS, the new document is a travel authorisation that Britons will need to apply for and obtain before showing up at any EU port of entry.”
Britons jetting off to one of the listed destinations should be sure to apply well in advance for an ETIA.
The new ETIAS will be available online and the application is estimated to take around 15 minutes to complete.
Applications can take anywhere from 4 days to two weeks.
If approved ETIAS will be valid for three years.
If denied, Britons will need to apply for a Schengen Area Visa costing up to £65 (€80).
Changes to passports mean British travellers will no longer be able to cross borders without their travel documents.
At present tourists heading over the border at certain ports of entry, usually by land, can travel with just a valid piece of ID.
“Britons will have to carry their passports with them, regardless of their means of transport, or their EU port of entry,” the expert continues.
“They will no longer be permitted to enter the EU block and the associate countries Norway, Switzerland and Liechtenstein, with only an ID, as they could so far.
“However, it is still not clear what will happen with Britons travelling to the EU but non-Schengen country of Ireland, due to the current open-border policy between both countries, as this still depends on a deal/no-deal end.”
Travellers should also ensure their passports meet EU rules.
- Every traveller must have a passport that is valid for a minimum of six or more months.
- Only passports issued in the last ten years will be accepted.
- Passports with extended validity or attached pages are not accepted.
- Every passport must have at least one blank page in order for the border authorities to be able to put a stamp on it.
“With no EU passports in their hands, Britons will soon have to join the long lines of non-EU nationals waiting for passport checks at the EU airports,” says the Schengen Visa expert.
In fact, it is estimated that at bustling European air hub Schiphol in Amsterdam, passengers on busy flights could face waits of us to 50 minutes to enter through its gates.
Januzi adds: “Britons travelling to the EU post-Brexit, and in particular after 2022, assuming the UK will leave for real by that time, will face quite some changes.
“The limited period of stay, the obligation to carry passports that meet the EU travel document rules, the requirement of getting an ETIAS in advance of a trip, as well as the lost privilege of joining the ‘EU only’ check-in lines, will be the ones travellers will notice most.”
