New rule kicks in today meaning millions of drivers charged 'mandatory' £10
A warning has been issued over a new rule kicking in today which could see MILLIONS of drivers charged a mandatory £10 fee. Drivers are being warned over a new rule that comes into effect today which could see millions charged £10.
It comes as part of fresh Home Office regulations that will impact non-European visitors entering the country. Under a shake up from the new Labour Party government, motorists will need an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) as part of plans to bolster security.
The licence costs £10 and permits stays of up to six months at a time, it will primarily affect lorry drivers who regularly travel across the border. Under the rules eligible European nationals will also be required to apply for an ETA starting from March 5 with enforcement beginning April 2.
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Economy Minister Conor Murphy for Northern Ireland warned ETA's will have a “devastating impact” on tourism in the region. He told GB News: “I have made it clear to Minister Malhotra that solutions to the ETA Scheme are needed to protect the north’s tourism sector.
"Ideally a complete exemption should be introduced for those crossing into the north but not travelling on to Britain. At the very least a time-limited exemption for people visiting up to seven days would cover most of our international visitors.
“The existing exemption for French school groups shows that a solution is perfectly possible. A similar, pragmatic, and flexible approach could be taken by the Home Office to avoid damaging tourism growth in the north.” It comes as UK lorry drivers will have to apply for an ETIAS (European Travel Information and Authorisation System) before entering the European Union, including countries like France, Spain and Italy.
They will have to fork out £5.84, or €7 for the European Union visa.