Two new requirements coming soon to travel to Europe

The European Union is introducing two important changes for travel to Europe. These are:

• EU Entry/Exit System (EES), which is planned to launch on 10th November in 2024.
• European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS), due in mid-2025.

If you are travelling this summer, these changes won’t yet be in place, so there is nothing you need to do.

However, if you are planning to travel later this year or next year, the links below provides guidance on how these will operate

EU Entry/Exit Scheme (EES)

The EU Entry/Exit system 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 go through passport control on your arrival to, and departure 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.

The EU has a target date of 10th November 2024 for the EES to go live.

European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) – expected mid-2025

ETIAS is the EU’s new travel authorisation which you will need to apply for ahead of your travels to the 30 European countries listed below once the system is introduced. It is a similar concept to the USA’s ESTA and the UK’s ETA scheme.

It is due to be introduced in mid-2025, but there is not yet an exact date as to when it will come into force. This means you do not need to have a ETIAS for travel to Europe at the moment.

When implemented, travellers will be able to apply for an ETIAS by the official website – www.europa.eu/etias.

As the system is not live, the website itself is not live or taking applications, so you cannot yet get an official ETIAS. Any websites claiming to offer this are false.

• https://www.abta.com/tips-and-advice/planning-and-booking-a-holiday/upcoming-changes-travel-europe#:~:text=Once%20the%20new%20system%20is,the%20EES%20to%20go%20live.
• https://travel-europe.europa.eu/ees_en
• https://travel-europe.europa.eu/etias_en

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