Valencia tourist board rails against EU post-Brexit visa fee
Thursday, September 15, 2016 @ 2:15 PM
VALENCIA regional tourist board has launched a mass complaint to Brussels about the proposed visa fee British holidaymakers may have to pay to enter the European Union post-Brexit.
Mainland Spain's eastern region lives largely from tourism and, in certain pockets – especially in the province of Alicante – UK nationals are among the most loyal customers.
In a bid to monitor the Union's outer borders in light of the recent terrorist attacks in Belgium and France, the EU is setting up a visa system whereby visitors to the continent will pay a typical fee of €12.50, US$14.00, or about £11.00, which can be transacted online with a minimum of three days' notice.
It is not clear how this will affect British residents in EU nations travelling back and forth to visit family, or who split their time between the two countries, nor EU nationals living in the UK.
Neither is it clear whether the visa will only apply to non-EU countries – which the UK is not, as yet, but will be two years after Article 50 is triggered – or whether it relates to all nations not in the Schengen zone, meaning Britain would be affected even in the absence of Brexit.
Read more at thinkSPAIN.com