Overview

• The EU’s Entry/Exit System goes live on October 12, 2025, requiring all non-EU visitors, including British passport holders, to use self-service kiosks instead of passport stamps
• Member states will enforce the rollout in phases with no minimum biometric scans in the first 29 days followed by random checks on 10 percent of travellers thereafter
• Facial images and fingerprints collected at kiosks will be stored in a central database linked to passports for three years to help flag overstays and identity fraud
• The UK government has allocated £3.5 million each to Eurostar, Eurotunnel and the Port of Dover to fit and staff new registration kiosks ahead of the launch
• Travellers should budget a few extra minutes for clearance and remember that EES is separate from the ETIAS pre-travel authorisation due in late 2026