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Brits travelling to Spain will NOT need an ETIAS permit next year
Official sources have confirmed that the travel permit for Spain and other EU countries won’t be introduced until 2025
The European Union has again postponed the start date of the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) that was originally expected to enter into force in November this year.
The launch was then pushed back to 2024 but now, EU officials have confirmed that the go-live date won’t happen before May 2025, at the earliest.
The ETIAS is a visa waiver for travel within the Schengen zone, similar to the ESTA scheme required for entry into the United States. Once it’s in force, Brits and other third-country nationals aged between 18 and 70 will have to apply and pay for the permit before visiting any of the 27 member states. Over-70s will also need to apply for the ETIAS, but it will be free.
“We had initially hoped for the EES to become operational by the end of this year or, at the latest, the beginning of the next year. Due to unforeseen delays, it has become evident that this timeline is unattainable. As a result, the implementation of the ETIAS has been rescheduled to May 2025, with the possibility of further postponement,” an EU source confirmed.
Another floundering scheme is the EES, or Entry/Exit System, which is supposed to automatically register third country holidaymakers whenever they cross an EU border. In theory, the two systems are supposed to operate hand-in-hand.
“Both systems are deeply linked. Though the Entry/Exit can function properly without the ETIAS, it is impossible for the latter to become operational without the EES,” the EU official elaborated.
In reality, the EES will need to be up and running for at least five or six months before ETIAS can be implemented.
At the moment, the planned launch for the EES is still sometime in 2024, with Brussels expected to lock in a date before the end of this year.
Image: Freepik
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