No visa needed to visit Mallorca this year as European entry/exit system is pushed back once again

British passport holders to apply and pay for a three-year visa waiver

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British tourists, travelling to Mallorca this summer, won't have to pay for a visa to visit Europe until 2027 at the earliest, according to a report on Sky News this morning.

The European Union's European entry/exit system (EES) appears to have been pushed back yet again, causing another delay to the euro-visa (known officially as the Electronic Travel Information and Authorisation System, or ETIAS), which can only take effect six months after EES is put in place.

According to Sky News, once put in place, the ETIAS will require British passport holders to apply and pay for a three-year visa waiver to travel into the Schengen Area (remember that from Brexit?).

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The EES was meant to fully launch on 10 November 2024 but was delayed when it became clear the technology wasn’t ready. The European Union did ponder a more phased introduced of the system but this has also been abandoned.

Travel expert Simon Calder told Sky News that Brussels is proposing to roll out the EES gradually to give border authorities and the transport industry "more time to adjust to the new procedures". It's hoped EES will be up and running by April 2026, with ETIAS following on a six-month voluntary basis from October 2026.

It means Britons can expect to start paying for the euro-visa (priced at around £6) from April 2027 onwards.