Overview

• Non‑EU short‑stay visitors will register a facial image and fingerprints on first entry, with children under 12 exempt from fingerprinting, and the rules do not apply for travel to Ireland or Cyprus or for certain residence‑document holders and diplomats.
• Digital records replace passport stamping once fully in place, with entries, exits and biometric templates stored under EU data‑protection rules for roughly three years.
• The rollout starts today at selected airports and ports and runs for six months, with manual stamping continuing alongside enrolment until full implementation by 10 April 2026.
• Travel bodies warn of longer waits during the bedding‑in period — some advising up to four hours at busy airports — while authorities say initial checks should take about one to two minutes per person and can be paused if queues build.
• UK juxtaposed controls are processing enrolment before departure at Dover, Eurotunnel Folkestone and Eurostar St Pancras on a staged basis starting with freight and coaches, supported by £10.5m in UK funding, and the system precedes the planned ETIAS pre‑travel authorisation in 2026.