UK travellers face £6 charge to enter Europe next year under new post-Brexit EU rules

British citizens travelling to the EU’s Schengen Area will be required to pay €7 (£6) from next year, under the bloc’s new travel system.

In a further example of the aftereffects of Brexit, non-EU citizens who will be exempt from needing a visa will be asked to register and obtain authorisation before travelling to the EU.

The changes form part of the European Travel Information and Authorisation System which is due to come into effect by the end of 2022.

Under the new rules, non-EU citizens, which includes Britons, will be asked to fill in an online form and pay just under £6 to be allowed to travel to the Schengen Area, which includes almost the entire EU, including holiday hotspots France, Greece, Italy, Spain and Portugal.

The authorisation will last for three years, and will allow multiple trips across different countries in the Schengen zone.

The plans were confirmed by the European Council on Tuesday. It is part of the bloc’s increased security measures, which will allow it to cross-check travellers against EU information system for security reasons.

It states that the new process will enable the EU to identify which travellers may pose a risk to “security or health, as well as compliance with migration rules”.

It is expected that 95 per cent of applicants will receive an instant approval. It is very similar to the US visa-waiver system ESTA.

Critics of the UK’s decision to leave the EU will highlight the added bureaucracy it has created for those wanting to travel to Europe for a holiday.