Starting next month, British travellers to the European Union will face unprecedented red tape with the introduction of the entry-exit system (EES).
From 12 October, visitors to the EU and wider Schengen area will have fingerprints and facial biometrics taken – part of the UK’s new “third-country national” status after Brexit. For at least the first six months, passports will also continue to be inspected and stamped.
As The Independent’s travel correspondent, I’ve been reporting on this for years.
During an exclusive Ask Me Anything last week, I answered your questions on how the new rules will work, what they mean for holidaymakers, and what to expect from the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (Etias) when it arrives.
Here’s some of your questions on the latest Brexit travel repercussions – and my answers from the Q&A:
Q: Will it still be possible to get stamps in passports once EES begins?
MartinC
A: Allow me first to emphasise that the entry-exit system, starting to be rolled out on 12 October, is an extra layer of bureaucracy for the first six months (until 9 April 2026). Your passport will continue to be inspected and stamped as before.
After that, I will be surprised if EU/Schengen area frontier officials will be prepared to stamp passports; it’s not part of the plan, and I think there would be concerns about possible fraud. Once the system is in place, if you believe a departure has not been properly registered, there will be a point of contact to which you can provide evidence such as boarding passes, etc.
Q: I’ve read that it’s either fingerprints or a photo, not both. Is that right?
MatC
A: All the information I have is that initially BOTH fingerprints and facial biometrics will be taken (except no fingerprinting for under 12s). On subsequent visits it will be one or the other; given the extra faff of fingerprinting, facial biometrics will be standard practice.
Q: What information will be required to register for EES?
Bob
A: 1. EES registration will require your passport (from which a fair amount of personal data will be extracted), your fingerprints and your facial biometric.
2. It is possible (but I think unlikely) that the entry-exit system kiosks will be programmed to ask additional questions, such as “where are you going” and “how long are you staying?”. But I doubt any such questions will be asked initially because of the delays they would cause.
3. Once registered, your biometrics are stored for three years after your most recent entry/exit. You will need to provide a facial biometric at each border crossing.
Q: How will the new UK–EU eGate agreement work alongside EES?
Sultan1274
A: There is probably more confusion about eGates than any other aspect of the entry-exit system – partly due to ministers grandly promising that the government has sorted out eGates for British travellers across Europe.
The EES registration takes place typically at a kiosk; you will have seen them at airports across the European Union this summer. These are not eGates. They are just to allow travellers to register.
Each EU country, being a sovereign nation, makes its own decisions about how to operate its borders. Some may do the work necessary to allow British passport holders – and possibly other “third-country nationals” to use eGates. This already happens at Rome Fiumicino airport, for example. But others may not.
Whatever happens, a human inspection and stamping of UK passports is mandatory up to and including 9 April 2026.
Q: After registration, do third-country nationals still need to use a separate EES booth every time?
Hammer71
A: Once registered, you will be checked either by eGates or a frontier official (with attendant stamping to 9 April 2026).
Q: Do you still need to register if transiting through an EU airport like Amsterdam?
Velastin
A: Amsterdam airport is an outlier, insisting that British passport holders who are in transit from the UK to (say) the US must comply with European Union rules on passport validity – even though you will not go through Schengen area passport control, nor EES.
On a Manchester-Amsterdam-Miami round-trip your passport must be under 10 years old on the day of outbound and return travel, with at least three months remaining on the latter.
Everywhere else – Paris, Frankfurt, Reykjavik – it’s just about whether your passport is compliant for the US.
No rules on passport expiry dates. But were you travelling Manchester-Paris-Madrid-Miami, the middle flight would be a Schengen area “domestic” sector, and you would go through the entry-exit system to enter and leave the EU.
Q: I live in the Netherlands as a Brit. Do I need to register?
DJinNL
A: The European Union has a long and comprehensive briefing programme for airlines, ferry firms and international train operators. Having said that, since there is no additional downside to registering for EES other than a small loss of time, if a transport official insists that you do so, it is probably just easiest to comply.
Q: What does EES mean for Britons queueing at border points?
BritInEu
A: A longer wait than normal. All the current red tape – checking and stamping British passports – will continue. But you will have to pass the registration hurdle too.
Q: Which passport should dual British–EU citizens use?
Tuscan
A: 1. If you have the wisdom and fortune to have an Irish passport, use that at all times. It has a superpower no other document has: unfettered access to both the UK and the European Union, with no need to get an online permit in advance.
2. For all other EU passports, register with the European document outbound (and show it when you arrive). Coming back, register the British document (and show it when you arrive).
Q: Will visits to Andorra still be exempt from the 90/180-day Schengen rule?
JSY
A: As a Schengen area frontier, you can expect to be checked out of France/Spain when you enter Andorra, and checked back in on departure. While I’m on the subject of small territories adjacent to Spain, a reminder that Gibraltar is about to become part of the Schengen area from the UK traveller’s perspective.
Q: How will rules affect couples where one partner holds an EU passport?
Eurotraveller
A: As an EU passport holder you can swerve all the EES palaver (as we would have been able to do until the democratic decision to leave the European Union). Your wife will have to register for the entry-exit system but after that will probably be allowed in the fast queue with you.
These questions and answers were part of an “Ask Me Anything” hosted by Simon Calder on Wednesday, 10 September at 11am BST. Some have been edited for length and clarity. You can read the full discussion in the comments section of the original article.
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