ABTA Presses for Clarity on EES and ETIAS as Europe Travel Rules Change

Two of the biggest changes in years were heading for British travellers to Europe, and in spring 2024 the UK travel association ABTA was pressing hard to pin down exactly how and when they would arrive. The EU's Entry/Exit System (EES) and the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) were both on the horizon, yet much about their introduction remained to be clarified.

Writing for members, ABTA chief executive Mark Tanzer set out why the association was working so closely with contacts in the EU and the UK Government to establish more detail — and why the travel trade needed answers sooner rather than later.

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What EES and ETIAS Actually Are

EES is a new automated system that will register non-EU visitors, including UK passport holders, each time they enter or leave the Schengen area. It records biometric data such as fingerprints and a facial image, replacing the manual stamping of passports. ETIAS is separate: a pre-travel authorisation, broadly similar to the US ESTA, that visitors from visa-exempt countries will need to obtain online before they set off.

Together the two schemes represented the most significant overhaul of Europe's external borders in a generation. For UK holidaymakers used to waving a passport and walking through, they signalled a more formal, data-driven crossing — and, at least at first, the prospect of longer queues.

How ABTA Was Pressing for Clarity

ABTA made clear it was not waiting on the sidelines. Luke Petherbridge, the association's public affairs lead, travelled to Brussels to meet the officials responsible for implementing EES and ETIAS, while colleagues from public affairs, destinations and communications met the UK's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). The public affairs team also met the Department for Transport — both UK departments closely involved in the changes.

The aim was to raise members' queries and concerns directly with the people shaping the rollout. High on ABTA's list was how the new processes would actually work in practice, and how some ports and smaller airports would cope, given that EES would initially add time to the border process. The association also wanted to learn how the EU and the UK Government planned to communicate the changes to the trade and to consumers.

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What Travellers Could Expect Next

At the time of writing, the precise dates were still to be confirmed. EES was expected to go live in autumn 2024, with ETIAS following in mid-2025 — a sequence that gave the industry a narrow window to prepare. ABTA said it would run its own communications activities when the time was right, and was already adding updates to the ABTA MemberZone and to its consumer advice pages.

For travellers, the message was to stay informed rather than alarmed: the systems were coming, but the everyday experience of booking and taking a European holiday would not change overnight. If you are planning a trip and want to understand how these schemes fit together, our traveller's overview gathers the essentials in one place. ABTA's work behind the scenes was a reminder that, while the headlines focused on new borders and biometrics, a major industry body was quietly pressing for the clarity that would make the transition smoother for everyone.