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Telegraph
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Britons are to gain access to European airport e-gates (but there's a catch)
British holidaymakers should experience shorter queues at European airports after the Government negotiated an agreement for UK passport holders to use e-gates across the European Union. Nick Thomas-Symonds, the European Union Relations minister, told the BBC that the agreement will grant British travellers 'more time to spend on holiday or work trips… doing what you want, not being stuck in queues'. Here is everything you need to know about how the new e-gate rules will impact your holidays, and when they will likely come into effect. Why do UK passport holders need to join a slower queue? Since the UK voted to leave the European Union in 2016, British passport holders have been considered as 'visa-exempt third-country nationals' when arriving or departing EU countries. This means UK citizens have the same rights as passport holders from Australia and Venezuela. At most EU airports British passport holders have to join the (slower) 'other nations' queue on arrival. UK travellers also currently face additional checks when departing EU countries. Many British holidaymakers will experience considerably longer processing times at airports. The reason for this is that since Brexit, EU border officials have been required to manually check that UK arrivals have sufficient means of subsistence, that their visit will not exceed the stay limit of 90 days over a 180-day period, and that the passenger has 'the means to return to the country of origin'. The guard must also now stamp the British passport. It is worth noting that, since Brexit, travellers with EU passports arriving into the UK have continued to have access to e-gates across UK airports. What exactly does the new agreement say on this matter? The wording is as follows: 'The United Kingdom and the European Commission will continue their exchanges on smooth border management for the benefit of their citizens, including the potential use of e-gates where appropriate. 'They note that European Union citizens can use e-gates in the United Kingdom and that there will be no legal barriers to e-gate use for British Nationals traveling to and from European Union Member States after the introduction of the European Union Entry/Exit System.' So what will actually change at EU airports? The agreement means that UK passport holders will be able to use e-gates previously reserved for arrivals from EU or European Economic Area countries (including Iceland, Norway and Switzerland). Some airports may opt to introduce new, special 'third-country nationals' e-gates to speed up the facial recognition part of the process. Others may allow UK passport holders to use existing EU e-gates. When will UK passport holders have access to e-gates at EU airports? According to the agreement the barriers preventing UK passenger access to e-gates will end after the introduction of the EU Entry/Exit System (EES) (see below). After multiple delays it is expected that the EES will be rolled out from October 2025. Widespread change is unlikely to come into effect in time for the 2025 summer holidays. Some European countries are already rolling out more e-gates at their airports in a bid to reduce passenger processing time. Others already allow UK passport holders to use e-gates. Rome Fiumicino has special 'third-country national' e-gates in operation, and at Amsterdam Schiphol and Lisbon UK passengers are allowed to use the same e-gates as EU citizens, before going on for manual border official checks. What is the EU Entry/Exit System? Under the Entry/Exit System (EES), e-gates will capture fingerprints and facial scans of non-EU citizens entering the Schengen bloc, replacing the need for manual passport checks and stamps. This means that, on first entry into an EU country, third-country nationals including UK passport holders will need to provide facial biometrics and fingerprints. Some fear this could lead to significant hold-ups at European airports after EES is rolled out. However, once the process is up and running, UK passport holders should be able to proceed through an e-gate without any further checks. Separately, UK passport holders will soon have to get an Etias 'euro visa' (expected to come into effect six months after the EES). The visa waiver will come with a one-off €7 fee
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
UK on verge of deal with EU to let Britons use European passport e-gates
British holidaymakers could face shorter airport queues this summer with negotiators on the verge of striking an agreement for UK passport holders to use e-gates across Europe. Downing Street said on Saturday that it was poised to strike a deal with the EU that would improve things for British families facing 'queues on holiday'. The Guardian understands officials on both sides are in talks about allowing British travellers to use e-gates reserved for people from the EU or European Economic Area when arriving at airports in Europe, ending the current two-queue system. The issue forms part of negotiations ahead of the highly anticipated UK-EU summit in London on Monday, which will focus on a security and defence pact. Since Brexit, British travellers have had to queue to have their passports stamped when arriving in many European airports, with e-gates reserved for EU passport holders and members of the European Economic Area. Some airports in Portugal and Spain have introduced e-gates that accept British passports, though the Foreign Office still encourages UK travellers to get their passports stamped. Rishi Sunak's government sought an agreement to open e-gates across the EU to British passport holders, but this never materialised. Travellers from the EU have continued to have access to UK e-gates, despite Brexit, without needing to have their passports stamped or checked by a border officer. An agreement enabling British travellers to use European e-gates could reduce airport queueing times considerably, particularly if it lifts the requirement for passport stamping. The EU is preparing to set up a new entry and exit system that will apply to British travellers in October. The scheme, which was meant to be launched in 2022 but has been delayed several times, would replace passport stamping but would require British travellers to provide biometric data at the border, such as fingerprints and face scans. A separate EU travel authorisation system is also being developed, and is expected to be operational before the end of the year. The UK has already set up its own travel authorisation scheme for EU and other international travellers which came into force last month. Modelled on the system used by the US, it costs £16 and allows multiple visits to the UK of up to six months over a two-year period. Several other mobility-related issues are also under discussion by British and European negotiators ahead of Monday's summit. Related: 'I feel smug going in the short queue': UK readers on getting EU passports The UK is eager to make it easier for musicians and other performing artists to tour in Europe without undergoing an onerous visa process. The EU has long pursued a youth mobility deal to allow young Europeans to temporarily live and work in the UK, and vice versa. The prime minister indicated this weekend that he was open to a youth mobility agreement. Ministers want any such scheme to be time-limited and capped, however, because of Labour's manifesto commitment to reduce net migration. Visa barriers for touring artists are unlikely to be lifted on Monday but are expected to be among the issues the two sides agree to explore further. The two sides are also in talks over a veterinary agreement to reduce barriers for the farming and food industries. Downing Street said the deal would bring improvements for UK producers and supermarkets. It will be the third trade deal announced by the government in a fortnight, after the conclusion of a multibillion-pound free trade agreement with India and a deal to lift steel and aluminium tariffs and reduce car tariffs with the US. Speaking ahead of the EU summit, Starmer said an agreement with Brussels was 'another step forward' for the UK and would 'be good for our jobs, good for our bills and good for our borders'. 'In this time of great uncertainty and volatility, the UK will not respond by turning inwards, but by proudly taking our place on the world stage – strengthening our alliances and closing deals in the interests of British people,' he said. Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, told the Guardian this weekend that the deal would be a 'step towards' a deeper and ongoing partnership with Europe. 'I am ambitious for our future. This isn't a one-off. There will be things that we achieve, some concrete outcomes on Monday, but there will also be a step towards where we want to go next,' she said.
