Latest news with #ElectronicTravelInformationandAuthorisationSystem
The Independent
12-03-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
British travellers to Europe won't need a ‘euro-visa' until 2027 thanks to further Brexit red-tape delays
British travellers will not need an online permit to visit the European Union and wider Schengen Area until April 2027 at the earliest. The Independent has studied documents issued in Brussels that reveal a staggered roll-out for the much-delayed Entry/Exit System (EES). The EES was supposed to replace the requirement for 'wet-stamping' of passports. For several months many UK visitors will need to have their passports stamped and biometrics taken, doubling the amount of red tape – and extending queues at airports, railway stations and ferry ports. The Electronic Travel Information and Authorisation System (Etias), known informally as a euro-visa, cannot take effect until six months after the EES is working at all Schengen Area frontiers. These include land borders from the Norway-Russia crossing in the Arctic to the Greece-Turkey frontier in southeast Europe, as well as every airport with direct flights from the UK and other non-Schengen nations. The Schengen Area includes all EU nations except Ireland and Cyprus, as well as Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. The EES was due to launch with a 'big bang' across all Schengen frontiers on 10 November 2024. But the plan was scrapped one month ahead of the deadline when it became clear that the central database and member states would not be ready. More information was promised 'within weeks' about the next steps – but it is only this month that details of the revised plan have become clear. From information published by the EU Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs, The Independent can reveal that the haphazard launch of the EU Entry/Exit System has taken another twist. Brussels has proposed 'a progressive start of operations of the EES,' saying: 'This would give border authorities and the transport industry more time to adjust to the new procedures.' To roll out the system gradually, though, a new regulation must be passed in Brussels – because the original insisted on the 'big bang' introduction. Home Affairs ministers have endorsed this plan, with the European Commission – the EU's civil service – to set a specific date in October 2025 for the EES to begin to be applied. Initially, though, as few as one in 10 frontier posts will be connected to the central database that is at the heart of the EES system, and biometric elements – face and fingerprints – will be only optional for the first two months. By April 2026, it is hoped that the Entry/Exit System will be working across the Schengen Area. The EU says it must be fully functional for six months before Etias is introduced – and then only on a voluntary basis for a further six months. The earliest, therefore, that any British traveller or other 'third-country national' will require an Etias, price €7 (£6), is April 2027. The UK travel industry has spent over £100m on getting ready for the EES, with the Eurotunnel, the Port of Dover and Eurostar installing new equipment and systems. Timeline for EES and Etias October 2025: EU Entry/Exit System starts across at least 10 per cent of frontier posts, with central registration of people crossing the border in or out of the Schengen Area. But the biometric elements – face and fingerprints – will not be mandatory for the first 60 days; it may be that some states do this anyway. Passports continue to be stamped. December 2025: Biometrics become mandatory at frontier posts operating the EES. January 2026: By now, 'member states should operate the Entry/Exit System – with biometric functionalities – at a minimum of half of their border crossing points'. In other words, a majority of visitors are likely to experience 'double red tape': providing EES biometrics but continuing to have passports stamped as well. April 2026: Roll-out of Entry/Exit System should be complete. Only when the EES is running flawlessly across Europe is will passports stop being stamped. October 2026 (or later): Etias may finally come into play. The EU says: 'Etias is expected to follow in the last quarter of 2026.' But for the first six months the will be optional.
The Independent
11-03-2025
- The Independent
Guernsey finally corrects misleading passport rules, four years after Brexit
Four years on from the post- Brexit passport rules taking effect, the government of Guernsey in the Channel Islands has finally stopped issuing misleading advice to citizens about expiry dates for travel to the EU and wider Schengen Area. Until The Independent contacted the authorities on the island, prospective travellers were warned, wrongly, that a British passport is 'valid for travel into Schengen countries for nine years and nine months from its original issue date'. After the vote to leave the European Union, the UK negotiated for citizens to become third-country nationals. As a result, a UK passport must comply with these conditions for travel to the EU and wider Schengen Area: No more than 10 years old on the day of arrival. At least three months remaining on the intended day of return. As The Independent confirmed in 2021, these conditions are independent of each other. Some airlines, travel firms and even the UK government have previously invented their own rule that 'UK passports are not valid for travel to the EU beyond nine years and nine months'. The government of Guernsey even displayed online a photo of a passport that was issued on 15 December 2015 and is valid until 15 September 2026. This document can be used for travel out to the European Union up to 14 December 2025 for a stay of up to 90 days, ie to 15 March 2026. But the island's authorities maintained 'the person's return date back into the UK & Islands' must be before 15 September 2025 – subtracting six months from its actual validity. The misleading information has been taken down. Online advice now refers users to the Foreign Office website, where they can search for their specific destination, and to official EU sources. A spokesperson for the government of Guernsey said: 'The advice we have on our website is provided to help the community ensure they are properly prepared for travel. While certain rules and areas do allow passports to be used for over 10 years, as you have correctly pointed out, many members of our community have previously encountered issues with airlines at check-ins where those airlines do not recognise this is the case and have not been allowed on to their flight. 'Our advice, therefore, is aimed to help the community ensure they do not encounter these issues. Going forwards we will ensure our websites simply refer people to the FCDO and EU websites.' The Guernsey government also says that travellers 'will need a visa to travel to Europe in 2025'. This is a reference to Etias, the Electronic Travel Information and Authorisation System – a proposed permit for visitors to the Schengen Area. But as The Independent has informed the island's authorities, there is no possibility that anyone from the UK or the Channel Islands will need an Etias in 2025 – and it is most unlikely that they will need one in 2026. Before Etias is introduced, it will require the much-postponed EU Entry/Exit System (EES) to be working perfectly across the Schengen Area for at least six months. The latest target date for the introduction of the EES is October 2025, and for Etias 'the last quarter of 2026'. Even when Etias is running, it will be optional for the first six months.
