
EU finally set start date for UK travellers' entry-exit system as Etias visa price trebled
The scheme will connect all Schengen area frontiers to a central database. The aim is to digitise border crossings so that the comings and goings of non-EU citizens can be more closely monitored. It will help to identify suspected criminals and to police the limit on stays of 90 days in any 180 days that applies to UK and other nationalities.
The newly declared date means some British passport holders heading away for October half-term holidays will need to give fingerprints and facial biometrics.
Initially the EU plan was to launch the scheme with a 'big bang' approach from the Arctic to the Canary Islands. But because of a rethink after the failure to meet the planned 10 November 2025 deadline, for the first six months travellers will encounter 'border roulette'. Some crossing points will require biometrics, while others will remain strictly analogue.
For UK holidaymakers and business travellers, the roll-out involves even more red tape than at present. Even when biometrics are taken at EES-compliant frontier posts, passports will continue to be scrutinised and stamped until the roll-out is completed 180 days later.
The EU has also confirmed that the Etias 'euro-visa' will come into effect between October and December 2026, and that the original fee is set almost to treble.
The Independent has identified the plans by studying newly updated EU documents from eu-LISA, the European Union agency responsible for the system. It is based in Tallinn, Estonia.
The main home page for the EES now reveals: 'The new entry-exit system will start on 12 October 2025.'
The Frequently Asked Questions page carries some old news: 'The European Union will inform about the specific start date of the EES several months prior to its launch.' Crucially, though, the end date of the roll-out is specified: 'This phased implementation will last until 9 April 2026.
'From 10 April 2026, the EES will be fully operational at all external border crossings of the European countries using the system.'
More details have also been revealed of the fingerprint requirements for British travellers – as well as other 'visa-free third-country nationals'. The document says: 'The system will store four of your fingerprints and your facial image.'
Children under 12 will not have to provide fingerprints.
Once the entry-exit system is up and running, final preparations will be made for the European Travel Information and Authorisation System – Etias. The EU says 'Etias will start operations in the last quarter of 2026.'
The European Union has now provided official confirmation of rumours that the fee is set to rise even before the so-called euro-visa begins.
Initially the cost of the permit, valid for three years, was pegged at €7 (£6). But the EU now says: 'When applying using this official Etias website, you will be charged a fee of €20 [£17].
'Applicants who are under 18 or over 70 years of age are exempt from this payment. Also exempt are family members of EU citizens and family members of non-EU nationals who have the right to move freely throughout the European Union.'

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Telegraph
an hour ago
- Telegraph
Russian tourists flock back to Europe
Russian tourists are returning to Europe in growing numbers, despite the war in Ukraine, with France, Italy and Spain their favoured holiday destinations. The three travel hotspots are all Nato and EU members and have imposed sanctions on Moscow. Hotel stays by Russians in Italy and France surged by more than 19 per cent in the past year, which Ukrainian diplomats branded 'disturbing' and a security risk. But France, which spearheads the 'coalition of the willing' nations supporting Ukraine with Britain, defends keeping borders open to rich Russian tourists, as does Italy. The trend was revealed by Telegraph analysis of data on hotel room stays and rentals on websites such as and Airbnb, and of visas issued to the EU's Schengen free-movement zone. Vsevolod Chentsov, Ukraine's ambassador to the EU, warned that ignoring the returning Russians would be 'short-sighted' and dangerous. He told the Telegraph: 'In the fourth year of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, it is extremely surprising to see statistics showing an increase in the number of visas issued to Russian citizens and a growth in tourist traffic from Russia to EU countries. 'We know that Russian society overwhelmingly supports the war. Moreover, it prefers to think that Russia is at war with the West and not with Ukraine, where the Russian army commits war crimes on massive scale.' He added: 'With increasing number of Russia's cyberattacks against EU member states, acts of sabotage and all sort of hybrid activities aimed at undermining European democracies, it is disturbing that Russian citizens can easily enjoy the benefits of travelling to Europe. 'Continuing to ignore this reality is short-sighted. It's a matter of European security.' Fires in warehouses known to be part of logistical supply chains have taken place across Europe, including in Britain, while there have also been reports of sabotaged train tracks. In the past, Russian spies posing as diplomats would be linked to these incidents, but since the 2018 poisoning of the Skripals, Moscow is known to also deploy agents on tourist visas. Stop EU visas for Russians Sir William Browder is an American-born English financier turned anti-Putin activist and campaigner. He urged France, Italy and Spain to stop issuing visas to Russians. 'Unless the Russians can demonstrate in a visa interview that they're opposed to the Putin regime, they shouldn't be allowed to come to Europe,' he said. European capitals have hit the Kremlin with waves of sanctions since Putin launched his illegal invasion in 2022. Both Britain and the EU closed their airspace to Russian airlines, triggering a drop in tourist numbers. There are still dozens of routes to Europe through Turkey, Georgia, Serbia and other countries. In order to get to Rome, for example, a Russian tourist would have to stop over in Turkey or the UAE and switch flights. The additional costs put the trip out of the reach of most ordinary Russians, but those that do make it to Europe also face difficulties because of the sanctions, which means their bank cards don't work. However, Istanbul's Ataturk airport is brimming with currency exchanges where Russians can swap roubles for euros to sustain their visits to Europe. 'There are many Russians who support the war, and particularly the Russians who have money,' Sir William said. 'What we absolutely don't want to do is allow these Russians to enjoy the privileges and resources of Europe, while at the same time they're supporting Putin's war efforts.' 'Europe should be open for people in the Russian opposition who are being persecuted, but no visa should be issued to Russian oligarchs or mini-garchs and others who support Putin, and I think we should err on the side of non visa issuance in that respect.' He said refusing visas would put pressure on Putin's regime and lessen the security risk posed by Russia's hybrid war against the West. Sanctions undermined Sir William said EU governments had to be consistent because if one country grants a Schengen visa, the supposed tourist can travel anywhere in the passport-free zone. Western governments have been reluctant to issue outright travel bans, except in the case of sanctioned individuals such as Putin's cronies and apparatchiks. In contrast, the Baltic nations and pro-Ukraine countries bordering Ukraine and Russia stopped issuing tourist visas to Russia or heavily restricted their numbers. Jan Lipavsky, foreign minister of the Czech Republic, accused those welcoming Russian holidaymakers of undermining the EU's sanctions against Moscow in return for wealthy tourists' cash. He told The Telegraph, 'It is deeply troubling to see some EU countries returning to business as usual with Russian tourists while Ukraine continues to suffer under brutal aggression. 'Czechia has taken a principled stance – we do not process any tourist visa applications and we believe this should be the standard across the European Union.' Mr Lipavsky said the numbers of tourists coming to the EU last year was 'totally excessive' and raised serious concerns 'not only from a security standpoint, but also from a moral one'. He said, 'At such volumes, we cannot rule out the possibility that individuals complicit in war crimes are among those vacationing in our resorts. That is unacceptable.' He added, 'I also see that some countries have a self-interested motive – they want the income from Russian tourism. It's not just about visa fees; it's about money spent on hotels, shopping, tickets and so on. Russians are known to spend a lot. 'This undermines the credibility of our sanctions regime and sends a confusing message about our values.' Lifeline for dissidents Andrei Soldatov is a senior fellow with the Center for European Policy Analysis think tank and a Russian investigative journalist specialising in the activities of the Kremlin's secret services. He said the visas were valuable for dissidents and families that wanted to visit them abroad. He said, 'it is a problem which doesn't have a simple solution. These are also the countries which help people with anti-Kremlin views move out. 'To make it safe for these people one needs to hide their applications in a stream of other applications. One cannot really expect a Russian dissident to come to a foreign embassy for a 'dissident visa', given the high level of repression in the country.' Popular locations Across the EU, visitor numbers are just a tenth of what they were in 2019, before the pandemic and the invasion, but this varies substantially across the bloc. In 2024, just six EU countries saw an increase in guest nights booked by Russians via websites such as Airbnb, according to figures from Eurostat. Italy saw the largest increase of 18.9 per cent, with 321,678 guest nights across the year, the highest in Europe. France remains the third most popular location for Russian tourists with 203,072 guest nights per year, which is an increase of 7.8 per cent - the fourth highest spike in Europe. Spain is second at 259,068 guest nights, down 3.6 per cent from the previous year, according to the figures obtained from the EU's statistics agency. There was a rise of 13 per cent in the number of nights booked by Russians in Hungary, which has a government that is notoriously soft on Putin. The UK, whose data differs slightly from the EU's, would rank seventh on the list for Russia visitors after Italy, Spain, France, Portugal, Greece and Cyprus. Unlike France and Italy, Britain saw its visitor numbers fall by around 1.3 per cent year-on-year, according to data from the Office for National Statistics. Other statistics, which look at nights across hotels rather than Airbnb-style websites, suggest that France is hosting 27 per cent of the level it was in 2019, compared to just 9.8 per cent in the United Kingdom. The UK has always required Russian tourists to apply for visas, including when it was part of the EU. It never joined Schengen. Schengen members also require that Russians obtain visas. There was an agreement, which made it faster and cheaper to obtain those tourist visas to enter the EU but it was suspended after Putin invaded Ukraine. Analysis of Schengen area visas also showed that Italy and France were leading the tourism rapprochement with Russia. Italy issued 152,254 Schengen area visas at its two Russian consulates last year, which was almost 19,000 more than in 2023. France issued a total of 123, 890, according to European Commission figures, 25,000 more than the year before. Spain issued 111,527, an increase of 15,000. Figures first reported by the EU Observer website showed a rebound in Schengen visas for Russians with 552,630 issued in total last year, an increase of nine per cent. Greece issued 59,703 visas and Hungary 23,382. Rome and Paris unrepentant 'Italy continues to regularly issue visas to Russian tourists who meet our requirements,' A spokesman for Antonio Tajani, the Italian minister of foreign affairs and deputy prime minister, said. 'Our opposition is to the Russian army's military operations in Ukraine, not to the Russian people.' The Elysée was presented with the statistics but did not respond to requests for comment. France has previously defended issuing visas to Russians. 'People-to-people relations and cultural ties can play a positive role in fostering mutual understanding and dialogue between populations,' the French foreign affairs ministry told EU Observer. 'We work hard at maintaining a differentiation between the regime responsible for the war and the population, its civil society, and the opposition,' it said. 'It is essential to maintain this window, to enable Russian society to get access to a plurality of reliable sources of information.' The British and Spanish government were asked for comment. The European Commission said they could not comment, despite being given 72 hours notice, because it was summer. Eurostat, the EU's statistics body, has collected data on the number of guest nights spent in 'collaborative economy platforms', which includes sites such as Airbnb and Expedia since 2018. The UK's Office for National Statistics has collected similar data since mid-2023, meaning pre-invasion figures are not available and there might be minor methodological differences between the two bodies. Data on broader hotel stays across Europe have not been updated for the entirety of Europe in 2024.


The Sun
2 hours ago
- The Sun
Incredible sacrifice of tiny English village that's become a haven for dark tourism 359 years later
A LOT of historic sites are shrouded in suffering and death, but one UK town is known entirely for its tragic past. Eyam in Derbyshire suffered mass casualties during the Black Death, establishing itself as a haven for dark tourism centuries later. 4 The Peak District village lost a staggering 260 villagers in just 14 months as the plague spread across England. Given the town at the time only housed 350 residents, this loss was felt all the more by those in the area. After the spread of the Black Death in the 1660s, Eyam earned the title of "plague village". The bubonic plague first wreaked havoc worldwide in the 1300s before another outbreak in England during the 1660s. It claimed over 68,000 lives in London alone during this period. The deadly disease eventually made its way north, reaching Eyam in the summer of 1665. In a bid to shield neighbouring villages, Eyam's inhabitants bravely chose to isolate themselves after symptoms of the plague were reported within its borders. A boundary stone, which remains to this day, was erected between plague-ridden Eyam and the nearby unaffected town of Stoney Middleton. Eyam's residents would make their way to this stone to deposit vinegar-soaked money in exchange for food and medical supplies, left by Stoney Middleton's inhabitants. Today, visitors to Eyam can witness the lasting impact of the plague outbreak on the village. English seaside town to transform abandoned beach shelters into new attraction There are numerous graves scattered throughout the village and surrounding fields as families were urged to bury their deceased near their homes instead of in the church graveyard. These stringent rules were established by Reverend William Mompesson and Puritan minister Thomas Stanley. They also opted to move all church services outdoors and ensured no one could enter or leave the village. A recent visitor to Eyam shared a heartbreaking love story that has become part of the folklore surrounding the plague-stricken village. "In 1665, the plague hit Eyam and they locked down the village, separating Emmott Sydall from her fiancé Rowland Torre," the tourist said in an Instagram post. Eyam during the plague The Black Death is thought to have first arrived to the village in September 1665. Historians have hypothesised the disease was brought to Eyam via a parcel of cloth delivered from London to a local tailor. The cloth is believed to have been infested with plague-carrying fleas. During the 14-month voluntary quarantine, 75% of the town's residents passed away. One resident, Elizabeth Hancock, buried her husband and six children with her own hands within eight days. Plague cottages, where victims lived and died, still stand in the town today. "Emmott and Rowland would meet at the village boundary once a week, keeping their distance so he wouldn't contract the disease. "One day, Emmott didn't show up, when the lockdown was lifted, Rowland was among the first to enter the village in search of Emmott." A plaque indicates that Emmott was one of the village's many victims of the black death. The romantic rendezvous of the two at the village boundary has been immortalised in a stained glass image visible in Eyam's St Lawrence's Church. More on dark tourism Plus, the stunning paradise island with WW2 wrecks that has also become a haven for dark tourism. And the darkest and weirdest weekend breaks across Europe. Dark tourism has reached all corners of the globe, with many visiting suicide forests and nuclear disaster zones. Some thrillseekers even risk death in the world's most dangerous countries. 4 4

Leader Live
3 hours ago
- Leader Live
Is it safe to travel to Greece? Tourist advice amid wildfires
More than 50 wildfires have erupted in the country in the last 24 hours, leading to a request to the EU for six firefighting planes. Residents of Kryoneri, 12.5 miles northeast of Athens, received three SMS messages to evacuate to safe areas yesterday (July 26). This comes as Greek authorities battle separate fires on Euboea and Crete, its two largest islands, as well as on the island of Kythera and in the south-west of the mainland. Firefighters battled wildfires across Greece and the Western Balkans as the south of Europe sweltered under the third heatwave of the summer Both areas are popular holiday destinations for Brits who are looking to fly out this summer. However, if you've got a trip booked over the coming weeks, the extreme weather could impact your plans. As of July 27, the UK Foreign Office has not issued any "do not travel" notices for Greece. Although it does highlight safety advice due to a 'high risk of wildfires during the summer season from April to October'. The website recommends travellers register for the Greek government's national emergency alerts, stating: 'Wildfires are highly dangerous and unpredictable. The situation can change quickly.' Tourists are also urged to 'be cautious if you are in or near an area affected by wildfires,' and to call the emergency services on 112 if you're in danger. Greece experiences wildfires every year, but they are becoming more intense and frequent. 🔴⚠️🔥♨️🇬🇷🇹🇷For the 1st time in recordes history,#Turkey has reached 50°C on July 25,during one of the worst #heatwave ever in the # also for #Albania & #Greece,all with multiple #wildfires.⬇️12hrs in sunlight by meteosat12 via @zoom_earth #ClimateEmergency Last year, Greece experienced its hottest June and July on record. If you find yourself at the site of a wildfire while on holiday, follow instructions from local authorities and keep essentials with you at all times. If you're set to head out to Greece on holiday, then it's best to check with your tour operator or airline. For those preparing to travel, it may be possible to cancel your trip for a refund, but only under specific circumstances. 'For tourists concerned about travel disruptions due to wildfires, it's essential to understand the options available in terms of insurance and refunds," Travel and Tour World states. Recommended reading: Does buying from duty free at the airport save you money and how does it work? The best ways to try and prevent jet lag on a long-haul flight Here are the best seats to choose on a plane - and the ones to avoid 'In cases where the wildfire threat directly impacts the region you are visiting, travellers may be eligible for a refund or rebooking. 'However, if the situation is not deemed dangerous enough by authorities, or if no official travel advisory is issued, airlines and tour operators are generally not obligated to offer full refunds.' As it stands, there is no Foreign Office warning against travel, so it's best to continue to check for regular updates in case the situation changes in the coming hours and days.