ThisisBigBrother.com - UK TV Forums - The new Entry-Exit System (EES) for Brits travelling to Europe…

…this information on some of the details of EES came up on my news feed this morning so I’ll post it…

A new automated EU travel scheme to replace the manual stamping of passports will be implemented in October 2025, the EU has said.

The entry-exit system (EES), which will require UK citizens to provide fingerprints and facial biometrics before travelling to Europe, has been delayed numerous times, but was given a new start date last week..

Yahoo News UK examines how the system will work and what British travellers can expect when it eventually rolls out.

How does the EES work?

The entry-exit system (EES) is an automated IT system for registering non-EU nationals who are travelling to the EU for a short stay - up to 90 days within any 180-day period.

The system will register the traveller's name, type of travel document, biometric data (fingerprints and captured facial images) and the date of place of entry and exit.

It will replace the current system of manually stamping passports. The system will be used by the 29 countries in the Schengen Area, which guarantees free movement to its 450 million EU citizens.

What does this mean for Brits travelling to Europe?

The EES will be used to register travellers from countries outside the EU, including the UK, each time they cross a border in or out of the bloc.

British travellers will have to scan their passports or other travel documents at an automated self-service kiosk before crossing the border, instead of having their passport stamped manually.

It is likely that UK citizens will have their fingerprints and facial images taken the first time they cross a border into the EU after the system is up and running. This data will be erased from the system three years after their last trip to an EU country using the EES. British children under the age of 12 will not have to give fingerprints.

The EES will operate at the Port of Dover and Eurostar and Eurotunnel terminals in the UK. There will be self-service kiosks in St Pancras station for Eurostar passengers, but passengers will have to get out of their cars to register at the Eurotunnel terminal in Folkestone, Kent.

At the port of Dover, car passengers will be provided tablet devices to register and can remain in their vehicles, but coach passengers will have to disembark and use kiosks.

The EU is working on an app so travellers can register their details online and ease congestion at border crossings, with British MPs calling for EES to be delayed until it is fully ready.

There are concerns that the system will mean delays for passengers in the UK.

In February, a union warned the introduction of the scheme will lead to delays for UK travellers

Lucy Moreton, professional officer at the ISU, the union for borders, immigration and customs, told Yahoo News UK that should travellers should expect delays.

"In the early phases it is likely to lead to delays as folk who were not aware of the requirement try to travel," she said.

Why is this happening?

The EU says the EES will modernise the management of its borders and eventually lead to an improved experience for travellers.

The system is designed to combat identity fraud and spot overstayers to the EU, as well as strengthen security within the bloc.

The EES has been delayed repeatedly – initially scheduled for a 2022 start, it was pushed back to May 2023, then the end of 2024 and then until November 2024.

Last week, the EU announced a revised timeline and said it is now expected to become operational in October 2025.

What does it mean for ETIAS?

The EES is linked to the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS).

This is a new entry requirement for travellers to enter 30 European countries – the 29 Schengen Area nations as well as Cyprus.

With ETIAS, which is not a visa, travellers must apply well in advance for a travel authorisation before starting their trip.

Travellers must go online and provide personal information such as address, passport information, current occupation, past travel to conflict zones or any criminal convictions, but unlike EES, no biometric data is collected.

The ETIAS, which will cost about £6, will be valid for three years or until the passport used for the application runs out, whichever comes first.

The ETIAS is expected to roll out in the last quarter of 2026, a year after the EES becomes operational in October 2025.

If that timeline remains in place, by the end of 2026 UK travellers will need authorisation from both systems to travel to the EU.