Brexit will be finalised by March 2019 and though the exact outcome remains yet to be determined, travel plans will certainly have to change.
The European Commission has proposed a new visa scheme for all visitors to the European Union, called an ETIAS (European Travel Information and Authorisation System).
Though Brexit was not the catalyst for the visa, UK citizens will be subjected to its rules once Britain has left the EU.
If approved, the ETIAS will come with strict restrictions on who can and cannot enter the Schengen area.
It’s likely the European visa will require personal information, security and health checks.
The European Commission insists these exact details are yet to be finalised as ETIAS is still in the proposal stages.
An EU source told Express.co.uk: ”On June 9 2017, the Council only agreed a general approach on a proposal for such an authorisation system.
“Neither the final proposal, nor the possible questions have been formally agreed.
“We cannot yet confirm when these negotiations will end and under which conditions the ETIAS system will enter into force. I can therefore not confirm the specific information passengers will have to fill.
“Brexit negotiations are ongoing, only the final outcome can confirm how UK citizens will be considered. As long as the UK is part of the EU, British citizens will not be impacted by ETIAS.”
But the European Commission has confirmed the system will be similar to schemes in the United States, Canada and Australia.
America’s visa requirement is called an ESTA, and requires extensive background information from the applicant.
One of the questions is: “Have you ever been arrested or convicted for a crime that resulted in serious damage to property, or serious harm to another person or government authority?”
Even if you had a criminal conviction from years before, you could easily be denied entry into the country.
Certain health conditions might also prevent you from entering Europe post-Brexit, based on similar schemes around the world. You will likely have to provide information on your state of health, particularly infectious diseases.
Other information to be provided under the proposed ETIAS visa includes previous EU immigration history and personal biometric data.
The European Commission explained the aim of ETIAS is to “improve the security of the Schengen area primarily requiring these visa-free travellers to obtain travel authorisation and undergo various security checks prior to their arrival to the EU.”
It added: “The ETIAS would ensure possible security threats are identified and dealt with outside EU borders and ensures citizens remain safe from such threats inside the EU.”
Each application will be checked against Europol and other security data as well as manual processing.
If approved, the visa scheme should be in effect by 2020.
It will cost €5 for adults and last for five years or until the person’s passport has expired.
All British citizens travelling to EU member countries will require an approved ETIAS visa before entering, if the scheme is passed.
READ MORE: What is ETIAS?
