The European Union is preparing major changes at its external borders. Here is a clear guide to the EES and ETIAS systems, the expected rollout timeline, and what non-EU travelers should be ready for.
The EU's revised border-tech timetable made one point clear: ETIAS could not start on its own. Before travellers would need the new online authorisation, the Entry/Exit System had to be built and operating first.
EU Justice and Home Affairs Ministers convened to address mounting security challenges from Middle East tensions, advance asylum pact negotiations, and confirm new operational dates for Europe's digital border systems ETIAS and EES.
Travellers applying for ETIAS do not need to submit health details, vaccination status or biometric data as part of the application. The system is designed around identity, travel and security checks, and misleading claims can cause unnecessary confusion.
Travellers applying for ETIAS do not need to submit health details, vaccination status or biometric data as part of the application. The system is designed around identity, travel and security checks, and misleading claims can cause unnecessary confusion.
European tourism is recovering, but the next phase will be defined by smarter borders, stronger connectivity and more sustainable destination management. Here is how visas, rail, staffing and overtourism are shaping the sector.
The European Union is reshaping how non-EU visitors enter the bloc. New digital systems will combine biometric border checks, electronic travel approval and a fee structure that changes the travel process significantly.
British travellers still enjoy visa-free short trips to much of Europe, but the rules are no longer as simple as they were before Brexit. Passport validity, the 90/180-day limit, and upcoming ETIAS and EES checks now shape every journey.
The UK government is preparing a new digital border system that would require visa-free visitors to secure permission before travelling.