The new digital border system will affect anyone travelling to countries including Spain, France, Portugal, Italy, Greece, Germany and the Netherlands
The EU’s Entry/Exit System will replace the current system of manual stamping of passports(Image: Getty Images)
UK travellers are being warned about major changes coming in for anyone going to EU countries from October. A new digital border system will be introduced that will change requirements for people travelling to the Schengen area.
The new Entry/Exit System (EES) will begin from October 12, 2025. If you are travelling to a country in the EU Schengen area for a short stay using a UK passport, you will be required to register your biometric details, such as fingerprints and a photo, when you arrive.
You do not need to take any action before you arrive at the border, and there is no cost for EES registration. After it is fully implemented, EES registration will replace the current system of manually stamping passports when visitors arrive in the EU. This comes as the Foreign Office advised all travellers to carry one particular document when venturing overseas, as reported by ChronicleLive.
The UK Government warns that EES may take each passenger a few extra minutes to complete so be prepared to wait longer than usual at the border once the system starts. More information is provided below.
Which countries will EES operate in?
The new system will run in Schengen area countries in the EU. The countries in the Schengen area are:
- Austria
- Belgium
- Bulgaria
- Croatia
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Estonia
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Hungary
- Iceland
- Italy
- Latvia
- Liechtenstein
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Malta
- Netherlands
- Norway
- Poland
- Portugal
- Romania
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
The Republic of Ireland and Cyprus are not within the Schengen area, and therefore EES is not applicable when travelling to either of these countries.
What will happen when you travel to a country in the Schengen area?
The UK Government has explained that when EES is introduced, you may need to create a digital record on your first visit to the Schengen area at the port or airport on arrival. You will need to submit your fingerprints and have your photo taken at dedicated booths.
You will not need to provide any information before travelling. If you are flying to a country in the Schengen area, you will complete EES checks when you arrive at your destination. The checks may take a few minutes, so be prepared to wait during busy times.
If you enter the Schengen area through the Port of Dover, Eurotunnel at Folkestone or St Pancras International, EES checks will be completed at the border, before you leave the UK. You may also need to provide either your fingerprint or photo when you leave the Schengen area.
If you frequently travel to the Schengen area for work and/or leisure purposes, you must ensure that your total stay in the Schengen area is no more than 90 days in every 180 days. You must be aware of the penalty and enforcement approach for exceeding the immigration limit in any individual Member State you plan to travel to, or through.
Your digital EES record is valid for three years. If you enter the Schengen area again during this time, you will only need to provide a fingerprint or photo at the border, when you enter and exit.
Is anyone exempt from using the EES?
Some UK nationals are exempt from EES. The full list of exemptions is available on the EU’s official Travel Europe website. These travellers should not register for EES. Instead, upon arrival at the border, they should present their exempting documentation to a border guard.
If for any reason an EES record is created for them, this should retrospectively be deleted. Normally, this can be done at the border by a border guard, or by the relevant authorities within the Schengen area. In some cases, EES records may be deleted automatically, e.g. where the traveller has been granted a residence permit after entering the Schengen area.
According to Travel Europe, the EES does not apply to:
- Nationals of the European countries using the EES, as well as Cyprus and Ireland
- Non-EU nationals who hold a residence card and are immediately related to an EU national
- Non-EU nationals who hold a residence card or a residence permit and are immediately related to a non-EU national who can travel throughout Europe like an EU citizen
- Non-EU nationals travelling to Europe as part of an intra-corporate transfer or for the purposes of research, studies, training, voluntary service, pupil exchange schemes or educational projects and au-pairing
- Holders of residence permits and long-stay visas
- Nationals of Andorra, Monaco and San Marino and holders of a passport issued by the Vatican City State or the Holy See
- People exempt from border checks or who have been granted certain privileges with respect to border checks (such as heads of state, cross-border workers, etc.);
- People not required to cross external borders solely at border crossing points and during fixed opening hours
- People holding a valid local border traffic permit
- Crew members of passenger and goods trains on international connecting journeys
- People holding a valid Facilitated Rail Transit Document or valid Facilitated Transit Document, provided they travel by train and do not disembark anywhere within the territory of an EU Member State
Travelling by ship cruises
Sailings that start and finish their journey outside of the Schengen area (for example, at a UK port) will generally be exempt from EES checks, including for any day trips into the Schengen area that are part of their itinerary. Travellers who disembark a cruise within the Schengen area, and travel on to a further destination, including an alternative port, by other means, will need to complete EES checks when leaving the ship. Any travellers boarding a cruise within the Schengen area will need to complete EES checks at their initial entry point port of entry to the Schengen area.
What is ETIAS and when will it start?
In 2026, the EU is expected to start operations of the new European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS). No action is required from travellers at this point. The European Union will announce the specific date for the start of ETIAS before its launch.
When ETIAS is introduced, you will need to apply for authorisation to enter Schengen area countries if using a UK passport. You will need to provide personal information and details about your trip, and pay a 20 Euro fee, as part of the authorisation process. Some travellers will be exempt from paying this fee. The EU has already set out more information on ETIAS, including what information will be required from each nationality, on the EU’s official Travel Europe website.