UK tourists face new rules to visit Spain, Greece or France in matter of weeks

The new EU Entry/Exit System (EES) will come into force from November 1, the Foreign Office has confirmed

UK tourists wanting to hit up holiday hotspots like Barcelona, Venice or the Costa del Sol need to be aware of a rule change. The new EU Entry/Exit System (EES) will come into force from November 1, the Foreign Office has confirmed.

Starting from November 1, any UK citizen entering the bloc will be required to provide their photograph and fingerprints under the new system. Officials are cautioning Brits to brace for long queues at borders due to the introduction of this new system, which is applicable to all EU countries, including popular holiday destinations such as Spain, France, Italy, and Greece.

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 comprises 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."

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The statement further added: "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 a sweeping change set to revamp how UK citizens experience entry into the Schengen area, Brits will soon be required to provide fingerprints and take selfies for digital border control, aligning with protocols for other non-EU nationals. The Foreign Office has acknowledged that this process should take just minutes but concerns have been voiced over the possibility of chaos and technical issues when it first comes into effect.

The authorities have 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.", reports the Mirror.

As part of efforts to boost security and address problems such as illegal immigration, the forthcoming system will build an extensive digital profile of every individual entering the EU. This development precedes the introduction of the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) scheduled for 2025, which will be another layer of security requiring a pre-travel clearance and an accompanying fee for those heading to the Schengen zone.

The Foreign Office has outlined that with the new EES system coming into play, travellers will be required to register upon reaching 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 additional guidance from the Foreign Office, click here.