The UK government says its post-Brexit reset deal will let British holidaymakers use more e-gates in Europe and avoid long border queues. The reality is more complicated, and being able to use an e-gate is not the same as rejoining the fast-track lane.
Despite a headline e-gates agreement at the EU-UK summit, British travellers were told they would face passport-stamping queues in the EU until at least October 2025, with access phased in over six months. Here is what the deal actually delivered.
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 Wednesday 2 April 2025, European visitors to Britain must buy an Electronic Travel Authorisation before they travel. Here is a plain-language guide to the new ETA: what it costs, who is exempt, how to apply and how it fits alongside the EU's own incoming border checks.
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.
An eight-day rail trip through Sweden, Norway and Denmark rarely needs cash at all. Here is how to pay smoothly across three currencies, and the passport rules dual nationals should know.
Years after Brexit, a European holiday still trips up seasoned travellers, with confusion swirling around passports, the length of a stay and a forthcoming permit called ETIAS. Here is a clear guide to what actually applied in early 2025 and the myths that keep catching people out.
Europe's new biometric border system is finally on course for 2025. Here is what the EES is, who must use it, why it kept slipping and how its phased rollout will work.
When the European Commission published its ETIAS proposal in 2016, it was careful to stress that the scheme was not a reaction to Brexit. It had been expected for years and was modelled on the United States' ESTA. Here is how the original plan was framed.
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.