The UK Government is urging the European Union to simplify its border checks for British visitors when its long-delayed Entry/Exit system is introduced next year.
Under existing proposals, all visitors to the EU from third countries, including the UK, will have to provide a fingerprint and facial scan the first time they enter any of the member states following the launch of the new system.
However, the UK is asking for officials to drop the requirement for Brits to provide a fingerprint, arguing that a facial scan will be sufficient.
It has also requested that Brits be exempt from answering additional questions on entry to the EU, since they’re not required to do so currently.
The EU has not yet specified what questions will be asked of arrivals once it introduces its Entry/Exit System (EES) but they are likely to concern where and how long individuals will be staying in the eurozone.
At a meeting of the EES Transport Industry Communications Group this week, a Foreign Office official said the UK Government is lobbying to make the process ‘as smooth as possible’.
EES was due to launch, after multiple delays, last Sunday, but the start date was pushed back again after a number of member states said they weren’t ready.
The Foreign Office official said it has since received no further confirmed details of ‘what exactly could look like or the date it could launch’.
The EU has confirmed there will be a phased launch, with all member states going live on the same date but with only a limited number of ports and airports.
The roll out of EES is likely to start next spring, and the Foreign Office official said the EU is expected to publish new proposals of what EES ‘will look like’ towards the end of this month.
They urged travel industry stakeholders attending the meeting, which included a TUI representative, to lobby the EU for changes, suggesting that they might be successful in getting ‘tweaks’ to the new system.
The UK Government has asked for its launch to be delayed until an EES app designed to be used by travellers can be rolled out at the same time, but this isn’t expected to be ready until next summer.
It’s also not known if travellers will be able to upload their biometric details, including fingerprints and facial scans, to the app to reduce time at borders, or if the app will only be used for subsequent visits to the EU.
It is also asking for border guards to have flexibility in how they handle arrivals, especially vulnerable and disabled travellers.
A recent Home Office survey found that most travellers weren’t aware of the new border checks being introduced, but when told about the EES, they were unsurprised.
A poll at the end of July, also by the Home Office, showed that more than half of adults expect to travel to the EU next year, but only three in 10 ‘knew something’ about EES. Awareness is highest among frequent and older travellers and adult males, it found, with under 24s the least aware.
Six months following the launch of EES, non-EU citizens – including Brits – will be required to apply for a three-year visa waiver (ETIAS), costing about £6. This is likely to be introduced in 2026.
