Travel with Katie Butler of Total Travel: New European rules for travel coming soon
If you are planning a trip to Europe soon there are some details on what you need to know, most of which I have touched on previously as we knew it was coming-we just finally have some timings. We caught up with ABTA for the finer detail. The European Union are set to make two important changes for travel to Europe. These are: •The EU Entry/Exit Scheme (EES) •European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS)
We understand the EU are working to a date of launch of the EES of October 12 2025. However, you won’t need the ETIAS this year and will be more likely toward the end of 2026.
EU Entry/Exit scheme. This is a new electronic system that will replace the physical stamping of passports when you go through passport control when arriving in and departing from your destination. It will register all entries and exits to and from the participating European countries, which basically means it will register your movements every time you cross a border in or out of the EU/Schengen area. Once the new system is live. When you pass through passport control on your arrival to and from your destination, as well as providing your passport you will also need to have a photo of your face taken, and your fingerprints scanned.
When will it apply? We understand the EU are working towards a phased launch for EES on October 12 of this year.
Who will it apply to? It will apply to those travelling for a short stay, from what the EU call a ‘third country’. This is people who are not an EU citizen or a citizen of the Schengen area, so therefore will apply to most people travelling from the UK. A short stay refers to visits, holidays or business trips that have a duration of up to 90 days and are taken within a 180-day period. The vast majority of travel between the UK and Europe will be classed as a short stay. Irish passport holders are exempt from EES and also those with EU residency will be exempt. People of all ages will need to go through the EES checks, however children under 12 will not need to provide fingerprints but will need to have a facial scan taken.
Travelling on a cruise? If you are travelling on a cruise and stopping at any of the European countries involved in EES, whether you need to go through the EES system will depend on where your cruise starts and ends. If the cruise is to and from a UK port, you will not need to complete the EES registration, Passengers travelling on a cruise will not need to do EES entry or exit checks for EU day trips that are part of the itinerary. If you are flying to a European country to pick up a cruise, you will need to complete the EES process at your arrival airport and also when you are flying home.
The ETIAS or visa to go is looking like the latter end of 2026. This will last for three years and cost around 7 Euro and I will cover this in further detail nearer to the time.
Last week part of our team attended a training event in Leeds for an update on Palladium Hotel Group, training events are invaluable to our knowledge and it was a great evening meeting up with colleagues and of course gaining information to pass on to our customers. We can’t wait for the next one.