The EU’s stalled launch of a digital Entry Exit System (EES), now put back to October, will mean travellers to Europe this summer are not delayed on entry by requirements to register their biometric data.
Travellers also won’t face paying the €7 fee to register with the EU’s Electronic Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) until “the last quarter of 2026”.
That is in sharp contrast to the UK’s border treatment of EU visitors who must register with an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) system to enter Britain from April 2. If they register now, they pay £10. But if they delay, they will pay £16 – with the increased fee, announced in January, expected to apply from April 9.
The government has yet to confirm the date from which the increase will apply, but a senior aviation source told Travel Weekly the £16 charge “will come in from April 9”.
There is considerable anger and alarm in the inbound sector about the fee increase. The source noted: “The ETA is going to cost twice as much as Europe’s ETIAS, and the ETIAS will be valid for 29 countries, valid for three years and won’t apply to under 18s or those over 70.”
The UK’s ETA is valid for two years and offers no age exemptions.
EU home affairs ministers endorsed the revised EES and ETIAS timelines on March 5, noting: “The EES is expected to become operational in October 2025 [and] ETIAS to follow in the last quarter of 2026.”
They also endorsed a “progressive start” of EES operations over six months. But both this and the October launch have still to be confirmed by legislators and by all member states declaring their readiness. Only then will the EC “decide on the specific date”.
It was a lack of readiness that led to postponement of the previous launch date in November, the fourth delay in five years.
Member states will be expected to start EES operations at one or more border crossings and register at least 10% of non-EU arrivals from the launch date, to reach full registration within six months. All passports will continue to be stamped in the meantime.
Implementation at one place but not at others appears likely to confuse travellers.
But there is an added complication. It was revealed in February that the European Public Prosecutor’s Office is investigating after the Moscow office of French IT group Atos, one of three IT firms involved in developing the EES, acquired software for the biometric data system under a licence granted by Russia’s FSB security service.
The Foreign Office updated its guidance on travel to EU countries on Monday to reflect the likely October launch of the EES, noting: “You will be required to submit your fingerprints and have your photo taken at dedicated booths. You may experience longer queue times.”