What is the new EU Entry/Exit System and what will it mean in practice for British travellers?
After multiple delays, the EU’s new Entry/Exit System is finally set to launch. Brits will face a new border process when travelling to and from countries within the Schengen Area. Research carried out earlier this year suggests that almost two thirds of UK adults are unaware of the upcoming changes. What actually is the new EU Entry/Exit System? To what will it entail in practice for British travellers? You’ll find everything you need to know below.
What is the EU Entry/Exit System?
The EU Entry/Exit System, or EES for short, is a new digital border management system that will record the movement of non-EU visitors - who don’t require a visa - when entering and leaving the Schengen Area.
It will replace the current system of manually stamping passports, with the digital registration of date and place of entry or exit, plus fingerprints and a facial biometric.
This will make it far easier for Schengen countries to make sure that non-EU visitors do not remain beyond their permitted visa-free limit. Since Brexit, UK passport holders can stay, visa free, in countries within the Schengen Area for up to 90 in any 180 days.
When will the EU Entry/Exit System be introduced?
10 November 2024
Where will the EU Entry/Exit System be required?
The EU Entry/Exit System will be implemented in all countries that are part of the Schengen Area. This area includes:
All EU member states bar Ireland and Cyprus, which will continue to use manual checks
Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland
Checks will only be required at external borders.
Who will be affected by the introduction of the EU Entry/Exit System?
All non-EU nationals travelling for a short stay will be required to use the EU Entry/Exit System. For the purposes of the scheme:
All ‘non-EU nationals’ means a traveller not holding the nationality of any EU country or the nationalities of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland.
‘Short stay’ means any visits, holidays or business trips that have a total duration of up to 90 days within any 180-day period.
British passport holders who have EU residency will be exempt from EES. This is also the case for British passport holders in cases where they are travelling with a family member who is travelling on an EU passport, or a passport from Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland.
How will the EU Entry/Exit System work in practice?
Where the system is in place, travellers will be required to provide their passport as usual, but it will not be stamped. The first time travellers use the system, they will also need to supply biometric information in the form of electronic scans of their fingerprints and a facial photograph.
If travellers hold a biometric passport, they will be able to enter more quickly using the self-service system if available at the border crossing point.
The IT system will register the travellers names, biometric data, and the date and place of entry and exit. Facial scans and fingerprint data will be kept on digital file for three years. During this period, travellers will not be required to re-supply the biometric data, but data will still need to be verified each time - however, this won’t take as long.
Each new visit triggers another three years of validity, until the travellers passport ceases to be valid for travel to the EU. When using a new passport, a fresh biometric registration will be required.
In the vast majority of cases, the EES checks will take place in Europe when you arrive at your destination airport, port or land-border. In the UK there are three exceptions where border checks take palace on British soil:
The Port of Dover
Eurotunnel’s Folkestone terminal
The Eurostar hub at London St Pancras
Will the introduction of the EU Entry/Exit System increase wait times at border points?
We won’t know for sure until the system is introduced, but most anticipate severe delays at the start. It is predicted that these will be worst at the border checks at the Port of Dover, and Eurostar and Eurotunnel terminals.
In January 2024, MPs were warned that Brits travelling to Europe could face waits of 14 hours or more at the Port of Dover unless measures were introduced to prevent delays. Gareth Williams, Strategy Director for Eurostar, warned that at a minimum they would require over 30 new kiosks, and an area about the size of their existing check-in area at St Pancras.
The UK Government has allocated £10.5 million to help these border points prepare for the introduction of the EU Entry/Exit System.
Ultimately, the system should make entering and leaving the Schengen Area more efficient by replacing the time-consuming manual checks with an automated system.
Is there a back-up plan if queues get too long?
It is expected that there will be a ‘relief valve’ if queues build up initially. In this scenario, passport registration will still be mandatory for all travellers, but biometric registration could be reduced to just one in 10 travellers.
In this case, it will be up to the discretion of local immigration officials to decide on the percentage of biometrics they choose to register.
Are there more stages to the EU Entry/Exit System?
Assuming the introduction of the EU Entry/Exit System goes smoothly, the plan is to launch the Electronic Travel Information and Authorisation System (Etias) six months later.
This new system - working in conjunction with the EU Entry/Exit System - will require non-EU citizens to obtain permits ahead of travel to countries within the Schengen Area. The aim is that permits will be granted within minutes. In practice, however, it could take up to four days.
As with the EU Entry/Exit System, if you are travelling on a visa, or are a British passport holder but have EU residency, you won’t need one.
The scheme will be given a six-month grace period, meaning it won’t be mandatory for prospective UK visitors to apply for permission to enter the Schengen Area until Nov 2025 at the earliest.
How much will permits cost?
Permits will cost €7 / £6 and will be valid for three years or until the passport expires, whichever comes first. Those under 18 or over 70 won’t have to pay for a permit but will still need to apply for one.
This article first appeared on Best for Britain