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.
From 12 October 2025, British tourists heading to the EU faced new biometric border checks under the Entry/Exit System, with full rollout expected by April 2026. Travellers also needed proof of insurance, funds and accommodation — and from 2026 an ETIAS authorisation too.
From October 2025, British travellers face several significant changes at Europe's borders as the EU's Entry/Exit System begins. Here is what to expect at airports, ports and land crossings.
The EU has set 12 October 2025 as the start of a phased rollout for the Entry/Exit System (EES), with full operation expected by 10 April 2026. ETIAS is due to follow in late 2026, and its fee is rising from €7 to €20.
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.
From 2 April, most European visitors to the UK must hold an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA), but the equivalent requirement for UK travellers heading to Europe, ETIAS, will not arrive until the end of 2026. ABTA is urging people to follow the official timeline and ignore unofficial sites that claim to sell an ETIAS already.
From 2 April 2025, European visitors to the UK have to buy an Electronic Travel Authorisation before they travel, as Britain screens arrivals before they reach the border. Here is what the new requirement means in practice.
EU ministers have cleared the way for the Entry/Exit System to launch in autumn 2025. Here is what the new digital border will change for non-EU visitors, and the concerns it still raises.
EU home affairs ministers backed a phased launch of the Entry/Exit System and endorsed a revised roadmap that schedules ETIAS for late 2026. Here is what the March 2025 Justice and Home Affairs Council decided.