New fees for British people travelling to EU delayed until 2023

Etias system pushed back to 2023

Visitors to the EU's Schengen Area will have to pay a fee (AFP via Getty Images)

The introduction of visa-style fees and forms for British travellers visiting EU countries has been delayed until 2023.

The European Travel Information and Authorisation System (Etias) had been due to "become operational by the end of 2021" with "full implementation" expected in 2022, according to the EU's border service Frontex.

But EU officials have said that the system, which will apply to around 60 non-EU countries when it goes online, has been delayed and is now due to come in by 2023.

Under Etias, which is modelled on the US Esta system, visitors to the EU's Schengen Area will have to obtain a travel authorisation before their trip and pay a €7 fee.

Those who have to pay the fee include people from countries on the "visa-exempt" list such as the UK. Countries not on the visa-exempt list already have to obtain a full visa which costs significantly more.

An EU commission spokesperson confirmed to The Independent that "the current planning for Etias implementation is it will apply as of end 2022".

The UK's final relationship with the EU will be settled by trade talks which are currently taking place, but the UK government has ruled out keeping free movement which means Britain is almost certain to be included in the Etias system.

Under the new system passengers will have to complete an online application form that covers questions ranging from security to personal data. The application is expected to be processed within 96 hours, with passengers' names cross-checked against police databases, and the results sent by email.

The system is not technically a travel visa under EU law, though it has many of the characteristics of one. A single authorisation will be valid for three years or when a person's passport expires, whichever is sooner.

The EU's border agency Frontex says Etias is needed because "EU Member States’ border management authorities currently have little information about travellers exempt from visa requirements entering the EU".

"Etias will therefore be an important means of addressing this information gap by supporting security screening and risk assessment of travellers, reinforcing the internal security of the Schengen Area," the organisation says.

The regulation that gives the EU the power to introduce Etias was approved by the European Parliament on 5 July 2018 and the system has since been in the implementation phase.