Years in the planning and years in the postponement, the EU's new Entry/Exit System has finally arrived. Operators feared it would cause chaos at airports, ports and railway stations – here is how the biometric checks actually work at the Channel.
The EU's long-delayed Entry/Exit System finally begins its phased rollout on 12 October 2025, swapping the familiar passport stamp for fingerprints, facial scans and a central digital record. Here is what travellers from the United Kingdom need to know before they pack.
The European Union's long-delayed Entry/Exit System has begun a bumpy, phased rollout, with biometric checks already causing long queues at some borders. Here is where the rules apply, what they mean for UK travellers, and how to prepare before ETIAS arrives.
New digital border checks affecting millions of travellers to and from Europe are now expected in October 2025, according to the European Commission. Here is what the Entry/Exit System will mean in practice.
New digital border checks affecting millions of travellers to and from Europe are expected to begin in October 2025. The long-delayed Entry/Exit System will replace passport stamping with fingerprints, a photo and passport details for non-EU visitors.
The Port of Dover says the EU's Entry/Exit System will add only minutes to motorists' journeys, not the hours some had feared. A new registration compound and an AI-monitored ‘continental corridor' are central to the plan.
British visitors will not need an ETIAS travel permit for the EU and wider Schengen Area until April 2027 at the earliest. The delay follows a decision to roll out the Entry/Exit System gradually from October 2025 rather than all at once.
The EU's post-Brexit Entry/Exit System is scheduled for 10 November, yet reports suggest a fresh delay as some countries say they are not ready. Here is who it affects, how it works and what it means for queues at the border.
With the EU's Entry/Exit System due in November 2024, the UK government has pledged £10.5 million to help Dover, Eurotunnel and Eurostar install the technology needed for the new biometric border checks.
The EU's new Entry/Exit System is due to go live on 10 November, and non-EU travellers face fingerprint and photo checks at every border. Here is how the UK is preparing its ports, tunnels and stations to keep queues down.