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5h ago

EU Biometric Border System Starts Sunday With Phased Rollout and Delay Warnings

The program replaces passport stamps with a digital record to strengthen checks on non‑EU visitors.

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A Spanish police officer presents the Entry/Exit System (EES) that will require all non-EU citizens to register their personal details, including fingerprints and facial images, when they first enter the Schengen area, at Adolfo Suarez Madrid-Barajas Airport in Madrid, Spain, October 9, 2025. REUTERS/Juan Medina
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Overview

  • The Entry/Exit System begins October 12 and will expand over six months to full operation by April 9–10, 2026, with passport stamping continuing during the transition.
  • Initial deployment includes UK juxtaposed controls—EES checks start Sunday for coaches and HGVs at Dover and Eurotunnel, private cars follow from November 1, and selected Eurostar business and frequent travellers begin on Sunday with wider rollout from January 2026.
  • Early airport sites include a single test flight at Madrid-Barajas, Düsseldorf in Germany, Athens/Thessaloniki/Rhodes/Herakleion in Greece, Basel and Geneva in Switzerland (Zurich from November 17), all Portuguese external crossings on a phased basis, and full day‑one readiness reported by Czechia, Estonia and Luxembourg.
  • Non‑EU travellers will have their passport data recorded with a facial image and fingerprints captured on first registration (fingerprints not taken from under‑12s), refusals can lead to denied entry, and records are retained for up to three years.
  • Authorities and industry groups advise allowing extra time because queues are possible, UK officials have prepared contingency traffic sites in Kent and funded border upgrades (£10.5m), and ABTA warns that ETIAS is separate, not due until late 2026, with fake websites already targeting travellers.