Citizens of BiH, Serbia, Great Britain to pay for entry into Schengen area from next year

(Patria) - From May next year, citizens of Great Britain and some other countries, primarily Western Balkan countries such as Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, as well as Moldova and Ukraine, will have to pay a seven-euro visa fee to enter the Schengen area.

European Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson confirmed that the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (Etias), under which British and other citizens will have to apply for visa exemption before entering the EU, will likely come into effect from May next year.

This will also apply to citizens of other countries that do not require visas to enter the EU, such as the USA, Australia, and Canada, reports "The Guardian".

The Etias system will require non-EU citizens to apply for a travel permit of seven euros before entering the Schengen area, which includes 27 EU member states, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland. The permit will be valid for three years, or until the traveler's passport expires.

Travelers under 18 and over 70 years of age will be exempt, and those traveling from Great Britain to Ireland or Cyprus will not need to apply for a permit as these two countries are not part of the Schengen area.

Travelers will have to submit personal data online, such as address and employment, as well as criminal records and contact details in the country of destination. Most applications are expected to be approved within minutes, but some decisions may take up to 72 hours, according to "The Guardian".

Meanwhile, the EU has confirmed that on November 10, six months before the implementation of the Etias system, the Entry/Exit System (EES) for Schengen area countries will start operating after several postponements.

The EES will require travelers to provide biometric data at the border, such as fingerprints and facial images. This is part of measures aimed at making it more difficult for criminals or terrorists to enter the EU with false passports. According to initial predictions, the system was supposed to start operating as early as 2022.