Travel expert issues warning to Brits heading to Europe after October 12

Edinburgh Live

6 days ago

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A travel expert has issued a warning to all British passport holders who are planning a trip to Europe from October 12th onwards.
Vix Aguilera, who is an ATOL and ABTA protected UK travel agent, took to TikTok to detail changes being made to eGates, which are automated self-service border control systems.
"A new EES [Entry/Exit system] is going to apply to all non-EU citizens visiting the Schengen area and basically it will replace the need to queue and get a stamp," she began.
The alteration will see travellers instead required to provide facial recognition and fingerprints at a new self-service kiosk.
"You will be giving your biometric data upon arrival to the country," Vix explained, reports Bristol Live.
"This is then going to be stored on a central database and linked to your UK passport.The travel agent advised that the record will remain valid for three years and therefore you only need to carry out the process once when you first enter."
Now this is the interesting bit - it's going to be rolled out from October 12th in a phased approach," Vix added."
So although every country is within their rights to do it straight away to cut down on the need for extra queues. "She went on to note: "The way they are going to be doing this is by staggering it, so from days one to 29 there's going to be no minimum requirement and after that there's going to be 10% of passengers required to scan etc.
" However, according to travel expert Vix, there's no need for immediate worry as airport security staff will be on hand to guide travellers through the new process upon arrival. "You just turn up to the eGates then have yourself directed by staff," she clarified.Vix also warned not to mix up these changes with the forthcoming ETIAS - European Travel Information and Authorization System - a new requirement for visa-exempt nationals visiting 30 European countries. "That's not going to be rolled out until the latter end of 2026 - and that will require a pre-travel authorisation," she advised.So, who will be impacted by the change on October 12? Vix continued: "Obviously if you are travelling from this date, if you are going to a Schengen area, and if you are a non-EU citizen and you are looking to stay for up to 90 days in any 180-day period. "One TikTok user expressed their appreciation for the clear explanation: "Thank you for explaining this so well.
I was confused thinking it's the ETS, and since I'm travelling in December, worried that it being new might give me issues, but this is good info to have. "The reason behind these changes? The UK government's website, which provides further details, explains: "EES is designed to improve border security within the EU and its neighbouring countries, and reduce illegal migration in the Schengen area.
It will automate border control checks to help the EU stop visitors overstaying. " The statement further explains: "The checks may take a few minutes, so be prepared to wait during busy times.
If you enter the Schengen area through the Port of Dover, Eurotunnel at Folkestone or St Pancras International, EES checks will be completed at the border, before you leave the UK. You may also need to provide either your fingerprint or photo when you leave the Schengen area".
The countries affected include Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.