Britons may require visas to travel throughout continental Europe once the UK leaves the EU, it has been reported.

A visa programme similar to the US waiver system is apparently being debated by the executive body of the EU, according to The Guardian.

Currently, British passport holders can travel throughout the 26-nation passport-free Schengen zone without having to apply for short-term visas.

But Britain’s decision to leave the EU has now left questions over the criteria needed for UK nations to visit the Schengen zone.

According to The Guardian, the European Commission will unveil draft EU travel legislation later this year.

The scheme would cover all visitors to the Schengen zone from countries that do not need a visa to enter.

A researcher at the Centre for European Reform was quoted as saying that UK citizen “as third-country nationals would certainly be subject to the obligations (of such a scheme)”.