Alex Trelinski
PEOPLE living in Spain and the rest of the European Union who want to visit the United Kingdom from April 2 will have to get an Electronic Travel Authorisation(ETA).
Applications have to be done via the British government’s website and will cost £10- with the system in operation from Wednesday.
Crucially there are exceptions including British nationals having EU residency cards like the TIE in Spain.
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British and Irish citizens are also exempted from the ETA scheme as well as those who have a UK residency permit.
Travellers using the UK for airport transit to another country don’t need authorisation either.
An ETA will last for two years from the time approval is received and allows unlimited travel to the UK for stays of less than six months.
It is also expected that the cost of registration will rise to £16 later this year.
The UK ambassador to Spain, Alex Ellis, said it was important to comply with the regulation that ‘simply aims to improve security’.
He pointed out that the United Kingdom ‘is delighted to continue receiving travellers from Spain who make a great contribution to the country’.
The European Union is also working on its own travel authorisation system for visitors from outside the Schengen area.
Known as ETIAS, it has experienced several delays in being implemented with the latest date suggested to be ‘in the first-half of 2025’.
Again, EU residency card holders will be exempt but British nationals visiting Spain without a TIE will have to pay €7 every three years, with fee exemptions for children or those aged over 70.
