What is changing for British travellers to Europe this year?

These are the key dates you need to know for the entry-exit system and Etias

UK citizens travelling to and from Europe this year will encounter changes at borders. The European Union launched its much-delayed entry-exit system (EES) on 12 October 2025, although some countries are yet to fully make the switch.

Travellers will go through the formalities on both arrival and departure – at airports, land borders and ports in the Schengen area (comprising the EU except Ireland and Cyprus, plus Iceland, Norway and Switzerland).

The aims of the EES are:

• To identify suspected criminals
• To combat identity fraud
• To police the limit on stays of 90 days in any 180 days that applies to UK and other nationalities

British travellers to and from the Schengen area will go through a biometric check. On first encounter with the EES, they must provide the four fingerprints from their right hand (not required of children under 12) and a facial biometric.

Once you have registered, on subsequent encounters with the entry-exit system you will need to supply only one biometric taken when entering and leaving the Schengen area; this is almost certain to be the face.

Be prepared to provide biometrics and expect longer border queues as a result of “double red tape” . Until the roll-out is completed, British travellers will need to go through analogue checks as normal, including having their passport stamped.

Simon Calder at entry-exit system kiosk at London St Pancras International (Elanor Forster)

The EU stipulated that by 10 January 2026 “member states should operate the entry-exit system – with biometric functionalities – at a minimum of half of their border crossing points”. But only 35 per cent of visitors must be EES-registered.

This means a country such as Spain, Italy or Greece, with many arrival points by air, need not activate the entry-exit system at the busiest airports – so long at a majority of crossing points are EES-enabled.

During and after the roll-out, border officers may ask you for proof of financial resources and evidence that you will leave after a short stay – just as they can do now. France is also demanding medical insurance.

By April 2026 the entry-exit system roll-out should be complete, transforming the border experience at all crossing points in and out of the Schengen area.

Six months after the entry-exit system roll-out is completed, the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (Etias) will be introduced – if all goes according to plan.

Key dates

This is the calendar for changes so far and planned for the future.

11 March 2026

All borders must be biometric enabled and at least half the crossings must be registered on the central database.

31 March 2026

By now, every third-country national should be registered on the way in and out.

9 April 2026

Manual checking and stamping of passports must continue up to and including this date. Assuming that the EES is running flawlessly across Europe, the practice will end at midnight.

Last quarter of 2026 (October-December)

This is when the EU says the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (Etias) will be launched. This online permit is similar to the US Esta scheme, but valid for longer: three years rather than two (or when the passport expires, if that is sooner). New passport? You will need a fresh Etias.

Since Etias was first proposed, the price of a permit has almost trebled to €20 (£17). Travellers under 18 or over 70 are exempt from the fee, but will still need an Etias.

The European Union warns: “Having a valid Etias travel authorisation does not guarantee an automatic right of entry. When you arrive at the border, border guards will verify that you meet the entry conditions. Those travellers who do not meet the entry conditions will be refused entry.”

Initially there will be what the EU calls a “transitional period” of at least six months. During this time, arrivals who do not have an Etias “will not be refused entry as long as they fulfil all remaining entry conditions”.

The advice from The Independent is that all prospective visitors should apply for an Etias once the system begins. Although the EU makes clear that travellers without one can still cross the frontier, failing to have an Etias raises potential problems. These range from not being allowed on a plane departing to the Schengen area if you fail to show an Etias, to long waits at the frontier while your background and suitability for admission is checked.

What to do: Get an Etias if you are going to the Schengen area.

Second quarter of 2027 (April-June)

If the EU timeframe is still on course, the transitional period should have ended. Now begins a “grace period”, once again lasting at least six months. This spell is intended to help what is hoped to be a very small number of people who have neglected to obtain an Etias. They will be granted a one-time only entry into the Schengen area “provided they fulfil all remaining entry conditions”.

What to do: Get an Etias if you are going to the Schengen area. It would be extremely risky not to do so.

Fourth quarter of 2027 (October-December)

Once the grace period is over, all easements will end and it will mandatory for all prospective UK visitors to the Schengen area to have an Etias.

This piece was first published in September 2025 and is kept updated with the latest information

Read more: All you ever wanted to know about the entry-exit system