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The EU's Entry/Exit System started a phased rollout on 12 October 2025, introducing biometric checks at Schengen borders for non-EU nationals. Full implementation is expected by April 2026.

The EU's Entry/Exit System started a phased rollout on 12 October 2025, introducing biometric checks at Schengen borders for non-EU nationals. Full implementation is expected by April 2026.

As the EU's Entry/Exit System approached launch, one point stood out: not every Schengen country would begin at the same level of readiness. Estonia's full preparation made it an important signal of how the first phase of rollout would work in practice.

UK travellers visiting Europe should prepare for a new border process from October 2025. The EU's Entry/Exit System will gradually reshape checks at airports, ports and land crossings across the Schengen area.

November travel to Germany will look a little different because the new EU system has started to appear at the frontier. The key point is that EES is about registration and tracking, not about buying a separate permit before you fly.

A UK-EU summit agreement on 20 May 2025 confirmed there are no longer legal barriers to Britons using e-gates at EU borders after EES launches. The practical change, however, will not arrive until October at the earliest.

The promise of more eGate access for British travellers sounded dramatic, but the practical picture was narrower. Faster processing at some airports was possible, yet the legal status of UK travellers at the EU border and the underlying entry rules were not being rewritten.

The European Union has delayed the long-awaited ETIAS travel authorisation system once again, pushing its expected launch to the final quarter of 2026.

A further delay to ETIAS does not mean easier travel to Europe in the meantime. The more immediate change is the phased Entry/Exit System, which is likely to bring extra checks, continued passport stamping and longer queues before ETIAS ever becomes compulsory.

By spring 2025, the story around the EU's Entry/Exit System had shifted from a missed launch date to a phased implementation plan. ABTA's practical message was that businesses and travellers still needed to prepare, but they also needed to understand that the system would not switch on everywhere at once.