A new awareness campaign has been launched by the government advising British travellers to prepare for incoming EU border checks following the introduction of a new Entry/Exit System (EES) from 12 October.

The checks will require passengers to scan passports, have their fingerprints taken and their photograph taken at borders.

According to the government, the EU are to introduce EES for UK and non-EU nationals, travelling for short stays when entering Schengen area countries including Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. 

The British Home Office confirmed EES checks are in place to “replace passport stamping for all non-EU citizens, helping them to track compliance with the 90-day visa-free travel rule and strengthen their border control.”

British travellers will need to register on their first visit to a participating country after EES is introduced which will be valid for 3-years or until their passport expires.

Children under 12 will not be fingerprinted but all travellers including babies will be photographed under the new EU rules to have digital records created.

Upon exiting to or from a participating country, travellers will only need to scan their passport and provide either their fingerprints or a photograph at the border.

The British Home Office has said European countries using EES will phase this new system in over 6 months and that different ports may also have varying requirements until April 2026.

A government spokesperson said: “While EES checks will be a significant change to the EU border, we are in constant and close dialogue with our European partners to try and minimise the impact on the British public.​

“While we have done everything we can to ensure the required infrastructure is in place, anyone who is planning a trip to the European mainland once these checks are introduced will still need to allow more time for their journey as the new EU systems bed in.”

Checks are expected to only take 1-2 minutes per person however the government has warned this may lead to longer border wait times upon arrival in the Schengen area.

For travellers using the Port of Dover, Eurotunnel at Folkestone or Eurostar at St Pancras International, the process will take place at the border before they leave the UK.

For further information please click here:  EU EES Transport Operators Communication Toolkit