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.
Europe's long-delayed Entry/Exit System (EES) is scheduled to begin for some UK travellers on 12 October 2025, with a phased rollout running until full operation on 10 April 2026. ETIAS is now expected to follow in late 2026, with its fee rising from €7 to €20.
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.
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.
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.
The EU is working towards an autumn 2025 launch for the Entry/Exit System (EES), but it will arrive in phases rather than all at once. Member States can start with a share of their border crossing points and scale up over six months, while ETIAS is not expected before late 2026.
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.
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.
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 Entry/Exit System has slipped from its original 2022 timeline more than once, and its exact launch date remains uncertain. Here is what the new biometric Schengen border checks involve and who will be affected.