[Hannah Brandler]

There will be additional paperwork when planning trips to Europe’s Schengen Area in the future, with British nationals set to pay a €7 visa waiver fee to enter 30 countries for short-term stays (90 days in any 180-day period).

We’ve compiled a guide to the ETIAS (European Travel Information and Authorisation System) which is set to take effect from the end of 2023.

What is the ETIAS?

[FormerBA]

Another Brexit Benefit

Brexit- the gift that just keep giving

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[Tom Otley]

The queues to get into Europe aren’t much fun, either.

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TerryMcManus24, Polly, Eric, Quentin, Ben

[cwoodward]

The UK though can catch a lot more fish and not be taken over by stealth by the bankrupt German dominated EU.

Transited in Bangkok from CX to Bangkok Airways. The transit experience was not pleasant and to be avoided.
CX started to fly direct HKG Phuket this week the route was previously flown by Dragon Air. HK Express also fly the route daily.

A very happy new year to everyone from a very sunny Phuket

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A300B4, Polly, EasternPedlar

[MartynSinclair]

I have no issue if the Americans want to charge us Brits a fee for their ESTA
I will have no issue of Europe’s inner sanctum of Schengen wanting to rip us Brits off ‘fining’ us Euros 7 to enter the area

What I do have an issue is with Finnish immigration officers, lecturing me with pure hatred in their eyes why they are holding and interrogating British passports holders trying to night stop to in Helsinki; who would NOT accept an onward boarding pass as proof of onward travel (wanted to see a ticket instead) with the words “this is the cost of your Brexit” (his words). When I asked him to be polite, the lecturing only got worse.

In Malta, I am often reminded I can only remain for a maximum of 90 days.

I also remind the officers, I am free to choose where in the world I choose to create business and investment opportunities and that appears to calm them down… a little.

What I do have a big issue with is the way others Europeans still appear to control UK borders. Whilst us Brits are treated with venom and hatred crossing European borders, without access to E Gates, it now appears we are going to have to complete more paperwork and pay fees. Europeans however simply walk through our E Gates without any hinderance whatsoever.

It was interesting to read in Amsterdam from another poster recently, that in order to ease some immigration lines E Gates were opened up for Brits, which does evidence that Europeans are just being bloody minded to make travel for the country who exited the EU, BUT still REAMIN European, DIFFICULT..

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[AlanOrton1]

I try not to get too vexed by all this. Perhaps I’ve been fortunate, my only entry points to the EU in the last 12 months have been ALC, VLC, BCN and Cean ferry port. Each of these were made during school holiday time.
All the Spanish entry points were a breeze, with very quick queues.

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PhilipHart

[TominScotland]

Ahhh, the pleasure of dual nationality…….

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LuganoPirate, paul.bines

[Tom Otley]

That’s no way to make friends! 🙂

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[Johnhighlander]

Hi Martyn and yes frustrating but the UK Voted for this! And as far as I am concerned it is the Muppets we have as MP’s who allowed the current situation to exist of free movement for EU citizens into the UK but we will need visas. It is just like how we gave away our influence in the EU! But we voted for thisI I believe we may have even voted for this whilst a EU member!
With regards to Amsterdam and use of E Gate, yes have experienced this and it was a vast improvement and so believe it could work but we do not, as a nation, have the wii/interest or leaders to fix it I am sorry to say!

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[zeus1]

I’ve never had a single used. Breezed through every immigration point within the EU on a U.K. passport. Not a single question.

[zeus1]

The vast majority didn’t vote for it. I hate it when people say “we”.

Moreover, e gates are available for U.K. nationals in many countries. For example in Paris. Never had any issue there. It’s taken a few minutes each time I’ve transited or arrived at CDG. If they weren’t working was directed to a counter, no questions asked, passport stamped.

In fact to add, I’ve been travelling to the USA for years and immigration has never been any issue. My last experience at LAX ( thanksgiving) took me around 30 minutes from deplaning to immigration, collecting my bag and customs. And that was during a peak arrival flow.

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[BrotherJim]

[postquote quote=1335182]

Don’t take it too personally, I don’t think the lack of reciprocity is because of Brexit. Australians such as myself cannot use European e-gates but most European’s can use the Australian ones. And until recently Brits could use Australian gates, but unless we travelled to the UK regularly, registered and paid some pounds Aussies couldn’t use British gates. That of course changed around the same time as Brexit, though not much good to me as my name is on a UK watch list so I’ve never been able to use one! (its not me they are looking for obviously)

And I could be wrong here, but from what I understand when ETIAS comes in, anyone with a valid ETIAS and an e-passport can use European e-gates,

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cwoodward, RobertBLondon, MartynSinclair

[Cedric_Statherby]

I suspect the €7 fee and (limited) pre-travel admin will be the least of people’s gripes. It is when the full biometric checks are brought in – fingerprints and all – and all the extra queuing times that entails (for one thing, it will mean everyone, including small children, having to get out of the car at ferry ports and the Channel Tunnel) that we will see the true cost to this.

And it will of course be on the UK side that the checks are done (no admission to ferries etc without passing the requirements) – as it is already, and sensibly, for Eurostar. I have spoken to people at Dover and they admit they are simply not ready for the extra time every single passenger will require to be cleared through immigration.

[Chris in Makati]

[postquote quote=1335245]

Neither have I. In the last couple of years I’ve travelled to Bulgaria, Sweden, Spain, Netherlands, Malta, Greece, Portugal, France, Italy, Hungary and Lithuania. I didn’t have an issue on entering any of those places. No questions asked. I just handed over my passport and they stamped it and handed it back.

[FQTV]

I wish the press would make it clear this is a one off fee for several years entry….. the headlines in the papers tend to make sounds like a fee each time. I can’t see many travellers will be put off by a one off EUR7, esp if it actually helps expedite entry/exit. The only pain will remembering to renew and to update when you get a new passport, but I think most of us can do that.

It’s interesting how different EU countries border staff treat UK travellers – Portugal seem happy to wave Brits thru the EU channels, similarly at lesser French airports, even others have experiences at Finland which are less friendly. I guess my recent experiences have been places with high British numbers and keen to encourage travellers from UK.

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