Officials today warned all UK citizens travelling to the EU including Spain, Italy and Greece that they will soon need to provide their fingerprints and have their photo taken
Brits heading to the EU have been issued an urgent warning about massive border changes coming into force in a matter of weeks. From November 1, anyone from the UK entering the bloc will have to have their photograph and fingerprints taken, under the new EU Entry/Exit System (EES).
Officials are warning Brits to expect huge queues at borders because of the new system, which applies to all countries in the EU, including holiday favourites like Spain, France, Italy and Greece. In an update on September 5, the Foreign Office said: “From November 2024, the new EU Entry/Exit System (EES) will start for all non-EU nationals, including British nationals, travelling in or out of the Schengen area. The Schengen area is made up of 29 European countries, 25 of which are EU Member States. The EES is a digital border system which registers non-EU visitors travelling into the Schengen area instead of stamping their passports.”
The statement continued: “You will need to have your fingerprints and your photo taken when entering the Schengen area. If you enter the Schengen area through Dover, Eurotunnel at Folkestone or St Pancras International, your fingerprints and photo will be taken before you leave the UK. You will also need to provide either your fingerprint or photo on exit. You may experience longer queues at borders when the new system starts.”
In an overhaul poised to transform the UK border-crossing experience, British citizens will soon join other non-EU travellers in providing fingerprints and snapping selfies as part of a digital entry into the Schengen zone. The Foreign Office has indicated that while this process aims to be a swift few-minutes affair, skepticism is brewing over potential pandemonium, including tech glitches during its initial rollout.
Officials explained: “British travellers will need to do this on their first visit to the EU after EES is introduced. Their record will be checked on point of entry into the Schengen area verifying either their fingerprint or photograph. At some ports in the South of England (Dover, Eurotunnel and St Pancras – where the French Border Force operate immigration checks in the UK), EES will be carried out before departure. There may be increased wait times while EES registration is completed before passengers leave the UK.”
Targeted at ramping up security measures to battle issues like illegal immigration within the EU, the new scheme foresees the creation of an extensive digital record for all entrants. This initiative will precede the 2025 advent of the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS), which will necessitate pre-travel authorisation applications, accompanied by a fee, for Schengen-bound travellers.
The Foreign Office has detailed that with the introduction of EES, travellers will need to register at the Schengen border. “They’ll do this at the port or airport on arrival, where they can submit their fingerprints and have their photo taken at dedicated booths. While the checks will only take a few minutes for each person to do, it may lead to longer queue times for people travelling to countries in the Schengen area.”
“Travellers will only need to submit their biometric information at the border, and when EES is first introduced, they will not be required to provide any further information before they travel.”
For more official Foreign Office advice click here.