Expect delays as new EU travel rules come into force within months
Expect delays as new EU travel rules come into force within months
The EU has voted to start rolling out the new scheme for everyone heading from the UK to countries including France, Spain, Greece, Italy and Portugal
Queues at the airport
The European Union has voted to roll out new travel rules that will see long delays for UK holidaymakers heading to countries including France, Spain, Greece, Italy and Portugal. The rules will mean UK citizens heading to the Continent need to provide biometric data - pictures and fingerprints - as well as scanning their passport.
Airlines have been told they may need to hold passengers on planes in a bid to avoid overcrowding at airports as people queue to hand over the new information. Drivers heading for the Channel Tunnel have been warned to expect much longer delays and huge new processing areas are being created at Dover and at London St Pancras to process travellers.
The new Entry-Exit System (EES) is designed to make Europe more secure by tracking exactly who is entering and leaving the bloc. The implementation of the scheme has been delayed a number of times, but the EU this week voted to start rolling it out from October. It will be introduced for all EU countries within six months after the roll-out begins.
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Assita Kanko, the Belgian MEP responsible for the EES system, said: "The safety of Europeans can no longer be postponed. Reliance on paper stamps at borders, while criminals operate digitally, is unacceptable.
"The EES is not just a security measure but also aids legal travellers more efficiently, with fewer queues and increased certainty."
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Everyone with a UK passport will have to scan the passport and have fingerprints and a photograph taken the first time they head to Europe. You will then need to renew that every three years or when your passport expires.
If you're travelling through the tunnel or by ferry the checks will be done in the UK. If you're flying they will be done after you land. Those driving to the Continent will have to exit their cars to provide the information.
Once the system is fully in place another system, the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (Etias), will come into force in 2026. You will need to buy a visa waiver to get into Europe - paying around £6 every three years for the document.
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