The EU have confirmed the date on which the new EU Entry/Exit System will launch, requiring British visitors to the Schengen area to provide their biometric information.
From 12 October 2025, all British citizens entering the Schengen area will be required to register their biometric information. The introduction of this new EU Entry/Exit Systems (EES) has been anticipated for some time and will soon replace the manual stamping of passports.
For the time being, there is no requirement for those travelling into the Schengen area by plane to register for the EES or provide biometric information prior to travelling. Instead, visitors will need to create a digital EES record at the airport, upon arrival in the Schengen area. Biometrics will be taken at the same time.
The EU have warned that this process may take a few minutes for each passenger, significantly longer than is normally required for stamping a passport, and so to expect delays on arrival at Schengen area airports.
For those entering the Schengen area through the Port of Dover or Eurotunnel, the EES checks will instead take place prior to departure, before leaving the UK. This will make it especially important to arrive at Dover, St Pancras or Folkestone early, to ensure that you have sufficient time to create your EES record and provide biometrics before your train or ferry departs.
While EES digital records will last for 3 years, you will still be required to provide a fingerprint or photograph upon each entry to and exit from the Schengen area.
The EES is the EU’s tentative first step in digitising the Schengen border, with the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (Etias) expected to be introduced sometime in 2026. Etias is expected to take a similar form to the UK’s existing ETA scheme.
We wrote about Etias last year – you can read our article on that here – although please note that our latest understanding is that the fee for Etias authorisation will now be 20 euros. We would always strongly recommend speaking with your airline or travel agent, or checking the gov.uk website for the latest guidance, before travelling, seeking further advice if required.
If you have any questions about travel into the Schengen area, please get in touch at [email protected]
