UK holidaymakers must start paying a €7 visa waiver if they travel to a European Union (EU) country starting next summer.

Ylva Johansson, the EU home affairs commissioner, said that the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) was on course to launch in spring.

People must apply for a waiver, similar to the US ESTA, before travel, and this will be valid for three years or until their passport expires, whichever is first.

On the European Union website, it states: "The rules of travel to most European countries have changed. Starting in the first half of 2025, some 1.4 billion people from over 60 visa-exempt countries are required to have a travel authorisation to enter 30 European countries for a short stay."

This scheme will cover travel to the Schengen Area, which includes every EU state except for Ireland and Cyprus, as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland, BBC News reports.

Passengers will apply online or via a mobile app and be checked against EU information systems for borders and security, The Times reports.

It will cost €7 (about £6) for travellers aged 18 to 70, but be free for anyone aged younger or older than that.

Most applications will be approved within minutes, although it can take up to 72 hours.

A Home Office spokesperson said it expects the EU to provide more information on the rollout of the scheme "in due course".

Previous rules related to EU travel meant anyone from a non-EU country currently had to apply for a visa unless they were from a special list of 61 countries, which included the US, Japan and Australia, as well as the UK.

People from these countries could travel within the EU's Schengen zone (the area where people can travel without border checks) for up to 90 days without a visa.

However, because of the migrant crisis and security concerns over terrorism, the EU has decided to bring in more controls.

European Union also launching new Entry/Exit System

Ylva Johansson also confirmed the EU's new Entry/Exit System (EES) which will come into force on November 10.

Under the EES, all passengers without EU passports will be required to have their fingerprints registered and their pictures taken on arrival in the bloc, which will be checked on each subsequent visit.

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It will add two to three minutes of processing time per passenger, compared with the present 45 seconds, experts estimate.

Ms Johansson said the EES system would mean "every single airport", "harbour" or "road into Europe" would have strict digital border controls.

More than 700 million tourists entered Europe last year, she said, and the new systems would help Europeans "sleep safer".