Cruise passengers need to be aware of the European Union’s new Entry/Exit System (EES), which is being rolled out over the next six months.
Ultimately, non-EU passport holders, including Brits, will be required to complete the EES checks at the border when they enter the Schengen zone, which includes most of the EU plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. It doesn’t include Cyprus and Iceland.
However, the rules for cruise passengers vary depending on the type of cruise they take, according to ABTA.
Director of Public Affairs Luke Petherbridge said passengers flying to Europe to board a cruise will register at the airport when they land in the Schengen Zone.
Those taking a cruise that starts and ends in the UK won’t need to do the EES registration, regardless of how many ports they visit in the EU, because they will be regarded as transit passengers. The same applies to cruise passengers on day trips to Europe.
Passengers who board a cruise in the UK that ends in Europe will be required to register at the departure airport when they fly home.
The Foreign Office has issued new advice on EES ahead of its introduction on Sunday, 12 October.
Since the new system is being gradually phased in, up to April 2026, not all cruise passengers travelling to or arriving in the Schengen Zone will be asked to register from day one.
Schengen countries are only required to operate EES at one entry point initially, and it is estimated that even 60 days into the rollout, only one in 10 passengers will be registered. One in three arrivals will be registered by January 2026, and half by next March. The scheme should be fully operational by 10 April 2026.
