Brits travelling abroad to one of 26 European destinations will avoid having to pay a fee for a further year, the European Union has confirmed.

The EU, which Brits voted to leave in 2016, has delayed the launch of its €7 charge until November 2023.

UK passport holders hoping to visit Schengen States will be treated like any other non-EU country as a result of the Brexit referendum in 2016.

It means Brits traveling to any of 26 countries will have to apply and pay for electronic travel authorisation.

Once paid for, the visa is expected to last for three years and will allow unlimited travel to EU countries in that time frame.

Initially, the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) was expected to be in operation from September 2022.

The EU’s ETIAS website states: "ETIAS will be a largely automated IT system created to identify security, irregular migration or high epidemic risks posed by visa-exempt visitors travelling to the Schengen States, whilst at the same time facilitate crossing borders for the vast majority of travellers who do not pose such risks.

“Non-EU nationals who do not need a visa to travel to the Schengen area will have to apply for a travel authorisation through the ETIAS system prior to their trip."

The EU says: "After filling in an online application form, the system will conduct checks against EU information systems for borders and security and, in the vast majority of cases, issue a travel authorisation within minutes.

“The ETIAS travel authorisation will be a mandatory pre-condition for entry to the Schengen area. It will be checked together with the travel documents by the border guards when crossing the EU border."

Full list of Schengen Area countries

  1. Austria
  2. Belgium
  3. Czech Republic
  4. Denmark
  5. Estonia
  6. Finland
  7. France
  8. Germany
  9. Greece
  10. Hungary
  11. Iceland
  12. Italy
  13. Latvia
  14. Liechtenstein
  15. Lithuania 
  16. Luxembourg
  17. Malta
  18. Netherlands
  19. Norway
  20. Poland
  21. Portugal
  22. Slovakia
  23. Slovenia
  24. Spain
  25. Sweden
  26. Switzerland

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