A new European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) could see British companies facing a hefty bill for business travel once Brexit is finalised.
What is ETIAS?
The European Union have announced new measures intended to strengthen their borders once the UK leaves. The plans, not yet approved by the European Parliament, have been referred to as an EU Visa. They will see “a travel authorisation fee of €7” being applied to trips to EU countries from all “visa-exempt third country nationals”.
Once received the travel authorisation will last for 36 months. It will be checked each time a passenger attempts to board a plane, train or ferry to the EU.
ETIAS and Business Travel
It is being reported that 5.5 million business travellers will be affected if the new levy is approved. This will leave UK companies out approximately £35 million in the first year.
The move will also add an extra level of bureaucracy for travel bookers. Applicants’ names will be cross checked with EU states’ and Interpol crime databases and while most will get an instant approval, delays could be caused if analysing software scores a “hit”, or if there are “doubts” or “elements requiring further analysis”. In this case it could take up to four days to find out whether or not entry to the EU will be permitted.
Brexit Concerns for Business
These additional costs are sure to worry UK businesses, who are already concerned about the effects of Brexit on trading and profits. It was reported last week that 60% of construction business leaders believe Brexit is already negatively impacting their companies and almost 25% expect things to worsen within the year.
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