Two thirds of British adults are unaware of how the European Union’s new Entry/Exit System (EES) will work, according to Co-op research, and yet the system is set to launch in autumn 2024. So what do holidaymakers heading for Europe need to do to ensure their travel plans don’t go awry?
Where?
The EES replaces the manual stamping of passports with a digital registration at EU borders. It will apply to arrivals to EU Member States, except Cyprus and Ireland, as well as to the four non-EU Schengen countries of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.
Whom does it affect?
Anyone coming to the bloc from a so-called “third country”, will need to gain entry by going through the initial EES registration process. This will entail giving authorities passport details and biometric data such as fingerprints and a facial photograph, which remain valid for three years or until the passport in question expires.
The EES does not apply to EU citizens or third country citizens resident in the EU, who will continue to have unfettered freedom of movement throughout the bloc. But anyone from a third country arriving for a short stay of up to 90 days within a 180-day period, whether for business or pleasure, will need to go through the system and every time they enter or exit an EU country the movement will be recorded.
Where can I apply?
Most visitors will register on arrival at their European entry point, but some countries operate reciprocal passport control arrangements at certain departure points, such as at the port of Dover in Kent, or St Pancras International rail station in London, where those destined for the EU will be able to do the necessary.
And what about ETIAS?
Later in 2025, the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) is also set to begin, though the start date has not yet been confirmed. Anyone who has applied for a visa to travel to North America will be familiar with the concept. When it does come into force, ETIAS will mean third country citizens aged over 18 and under 70 who are eligible for a visa exemption will need to pay seven euros before accessing short stay travel in the scheme’s 30 countries.
The ETIAS lead-in time is expected to be between half-an-hour and four days, so you’ll need to allow plenty of advanced margin before your departure – but the UK trade organisation ABTA has warned travellers not to apply yet. No official application methods are currently available and so anyone purporting to offer an ETIAS service at the time of writing is operating a scam.
