EU Entry/Exit System Expected in October 2025: What Travellers Should Know

New digital border checks that will affect millions of people travelling to and from Europe are expected to come into effect in October 2025, according to the European Commission. The long-awaited Entry/Exit System (EES) will replace the current stamping of passports, requiring visitors from outside the European Union to register their fingerprints, a photo and their passport details to enter the bloc.

A European Commission spokesperson said the "entry into operation of EES is foreseen for October 2025". At the Port of Dover, chief executive Doug Bannister told the BBC there was no exact date for the launch, but that the port was anticipating a rollout around 1 November.

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What the EES changes at the border

Under the new system, citizens of countries outside the EU — including the United Kingdom — will need to register their biometric information when entering. In practice, French border police already check passports as people leave the UK at Dover and at the Eurotunnel terminal in Folkestone, as well as at London St Pancras for the Eurostar, and these are the points where the new registration will take place.

The aim is to tighten border security by moving away from manual passport stamps to a digital record. The change has, however, prompted fears of long delays, particularly at the busiest crossings during peak travel periods.

Why the launch has slipped

The EES was originally due to come into use on 10 November 2024, but it was delayed because the technology was not yet ready. The latest guidance pointing to October 2025 is the result of that extended preparation, and even then the precise start date remained subject to confirmation.

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How ports and operators are preparing

Operators on the UK side have been investing heavily to be ready. The Port of Dover said it had created a facility in its western dock so that the registration process can take place there before travellers reach the ferry terminal. The UK government previously announced £10.5m of funding for the new EU border checks, covering the Port of Dover, the Eurotunnel at Folkestone and the Eurostar at St Pancras.

Getlink, the company that owns and manages the Eurotunnel, said it was ready for the new checks to be implemented but had not yet been given a concrete starting date, adding that it had built a new area to process passengers. For a plain-language explainer of how the EES fits alongside the upcoming ETIAS authorisation, see our ETIAS overview.