Unbeknown to many, as of last week EU, American and Canadian travellers, among others, will now need to jump through new hoops to enter the UK.
Jetsetters from 48 countries must secure Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) to land on UK soil, with individuals having to be pre-registered and needing to pay £10 for a digital permit.
From April, this requirement will extend to EU citizens, where most visitors to the UK come from. Just when you thought Brexit could do no further harm, this new economic threat is damaging to Scotland’s valuable tourism industry, which contributes more than £4 billion to the economy.
Few other European countries would countenance the same costs and hassle for foreign visitors, competing for the same valuable tourist dollar or euro, further hindering Scotland’s ability to compete.
Requiring visitors to pay for travel permits is another burden tourism here could do without, and for those coming from the EU, is yet another example of the economic disaster that is Brexit.
EU scheme launches later in year
Later in 2025, EU countries will adopt a similar scheme. Known as ETIAS, it will require all UK citizens (including children) to complete an online application, provide personal details, answer security questions and pay a €7 fee. This authorisation will be linked to the traveller’s passport and be valid for three years, or until the passport expires.
The maximum permitted length of stay in any of the 30 countries operating the scheme is 90 days. People over 70 and under 18 will be exempt from paying the fee, but will still need an ETIAS.
None of it needed if UK still in EU
Of course, if the UK were still an EU member, or in the Single European Market, no ETIAS would be needed by British citizens going to Europe, nor would people coming from EU member states require a British ETA. None of us would need to be bothered by the cost and bureaucracy involved in these procedures and the tourism sector would be free of any barrier to visitors. 2023, the last year for which figures are available, was a bumper year for Scottish tourism, with visitors from the EU up by 19%. How the new UK ETA will impact Scottish tourism will not be known for many months. What we do know, is that there is a way to remove that barrier, and it’s called rejoining the European Single Market.
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