British holidaymakers will be hit with a £6 fee every time they travel to the EU after Brexit under plans drawn up by the bloc.
They will be required to provide personal details and information about their recent movements in order to enter the EU.
And they will also be obliged to answer questions about any criminal history.
The plan, which was signed off by EU ambassadors yesterday, will fuel concerns about how the UK and the EU will reach agreement on a highly contentious deal on cross-border travel after Brexit.
Holidaymakers travelling to a host of European destinations will need to apply through the new system and pay the €7 fee
The entrance fee has been proposed as part of the European Travel Information and Authorisation System, which the EU insists is primarily a way of cutting down on illegal immigration and tracking criminals.
The EU claims the new measures are being brought in to increase the security of its borders
Valentin Radev, the interior minister for Bulgaria, currently chairing the European council welcomed the move
Visa prices for UK nationals
As the EU looks set to introduce a £6 tariff for British nationals visiting the continent, how much does it cost for Brits to go elsewhere in the world?
* Turkey – £14 (online or on arrival)
* Egypt – £18 (online or on arrival)
* UAE – Free (visa on arrival)
* USA – £9 (ESTA online registration)
* India – £115 (consulate visit)
* Kenya – £36 (online registration)
* Cambodia – £21 (on arrival)
But the EU also hopes the scheme will help to fill the £11.5billion budget ‘black hole’ caused by Britain’s departure. It will apply to nationals from all non-EU countries who do not require visas to travel in the bloc’s Schengen zone. Britain is expected to fall into this category, unless it negotiates an exemption.
After Brexit, British travellers will be among the estimated 39million yearly visitors to the EU who could be hit by the fee.
Under the system, travellers would have to apply online by providing personal information and passport details, before noting the first country they are travelling to and answering background questions.
The registration information will then be checked against EU crime-fighting databases.
While most decisions will take just minutes, problematic cases could lead to further requests before being finally answered within four weeks.
British officials will be hopeful that an exemption to the EU scheme for short-term travellers can be won during Brexit negotiations in order to cut down on costs for Britons.
Theresa May has insisted that the UK will take back control of its borders, as well as ending freedom of movement after Brexit. But ministers have not said about how they plan to administer the entry of EU nationals coming to Britain.
Last year a report written by Tory MP Craig Mackinlay, a Brexiteer, proposed charging EU nationals £10 for a visa to enter the UK after Brexit. He said the plans could raise £150million a year and would be similar to America’s ESTA programme, which determines the eligibility of visitors to travel to the US under the visa-waiver system.
Theresa May’s recent insistence that the UK will not remain in the customs union makes it likely that Britain will be hit with the new levy
Meanwhile, the Government has warned that a planned Brexit security pact with the EU could fall apart under Brussels plans to exclude Britain from a multi-billion satellite navigation project. Ministers have been left furious after the bloc said the UK’s role in the £9billion Galileo system was up for negotiation, despite Britain being one of the biggest investors in it.
The Government is weighing up a number of retaliatory measures and may even set up a rival system. Officials are seeking advice on whether the UK may be able to retrieve the £1.2billion in taxpayer funds that have been dedicated to the programme.
The EU scheme will see the creation of a navigation service made up of 24 satellites to rival America’s dominant GPS and a similar system used by Russia.
While the UK could be given access to parts of Galileo, Brussels has raised concerns about whether Britain can be trusted to use elements reserved specifically for security matters.