Britons will have to pay €7 (£6.30) every three years to travel to EU countries, as a consequence of Brexit.
The European Commission has confirmed that while UK travellers will not need a visa, they will need to apply for and buy another document.
It is called an ETIAS (European Travel Information and Authorization System) and although not launched yet, is expected to come into force in 2021.
The travel requirement is not just for the UK but for many non-EU countries.
What is the ETIAS?
Citizens of EU countries – which currently includes British people – are able to travel anywhere in the EU.
But anyone from a non-EU country has to apply for a visa – unless they are from a special list of 61 countries, which also includes the US, Japan and Australia.
Nationals from these 61 countries can travel within the EU’s Schengen zone – the area where people can travel without border checks – for up to 90 days without a visa.
However, because of the migrant crisis and security concerns over terrorism, the EU has decided to bring in more controls over the countries on this special list.
It is not a visa but a travel requirement for anyone on that list of 61 non-EU countries who are coming to the EU for business, tourism, medical or transit-related reasons for up to 90 days.
The EU says the ETIAS system will “to strengthen security checks on those persons who travel visa-free to the EU”.
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What will UK travellers to the EU have to do?
Under the Brexit deal, EU citizens and UK nationals will continue to be able to travel freely with a passport or identity card until the end of the transition period in 2020.
After this period ends, the European Commission has offered visa-free travel for UK nationals coming to the EU for a short stay, as long as the UK offers the same in return.
But although they do not need a visa, UK nationals will need an ETIAS – deal or no deal.
The form – which the EU describes as a “necessary and small procedural step” – will take no more than 10 minutes and anyone between the ages of 18 and 70 must pay the fee, the EU says.
The details needed for the application form will include passport information as well as background questions about criminal records or medical conditions.
