Search results for: "biometric border checks"

The EU's biometric Entry/Exit System is now live and causing queues at some airports. Here is whether checks can be suspended this summer and how to prepare.

Europe is changing how it welcomes visitors in 2026, with new biometric border checks, rising tourist taxes and a firmer line on bad behaviour. Here is a complete guide to the rules travellers need to know before they go.

Cruise holidaymakers have been left confused by the EU's new Entry/Exit System. The good news: sailings that begin and end at a port outside the Schengen area, such as a UK harbour, are generally exempt from EES checks, including day trips ashore.

How all non-EU citizens, including British visitors, travel to and from the bloc began to change when the EU's long-delayed biometric Entry/Exit System started operations. Here is a clear guide to what changes and why.

New biometric border checks have come into force across Europe's Schengen area. From who needs to register to what it costs and how long it lasts, here are clear answers to the key questions about the EU's Entry/Exit System.

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.

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.

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.