With the EU's Entry/Exit System rolling out from 12 October, many travellers heading to Germany this autumn are unsure what extra scrutiny they will face. The early reality is likely to be patchy rather than dramatic.
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 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 leading aviation and tourism associations have criticised the proposed increase in the ETIAS fee from €7 to €20, calling it disproportionate and poorly justified. They want the European Commission to publish a clear cost breakdown before the charge is confirmed.
The European travel authorisation for visa-free visitors will cost €20 when it launches for Britons in 2026, rather than the €7 figure that circulated in earlier coverage. The higher price is now the confirmed amount.
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 European Commission has proposed nearly tripling the fee paid by short-stay, visa-exempt visitors to the EU, from €7 to €20. The change is designed to boost the bloc's budget and could raise an estimated €300 million a year.
Europe's travel and tourism industry has pushed back against a European Commission plan to raise the ETIAS fee from €7 to €20 per application. The coalition calls the proposal disproportionate and is demanding a transparent impact assessment before any decision is taken.
Europe's travel and tourism sector has pushed back on the European Commission's proposal to nearly triple the ETIAS fee from €7 to €20, calling it disproportionate and poorly justified. Here is what the industry is asking for.