If you’re holding a British passport and planning a European getaway, there’s an important change on the horizon — and April is when it really starts to matter.

After years of discussion and delays, the European Union is finally rolling out a new border control setup that will affect UK travellers heading to mainland Europe. While you won’t need to pay immediately, a paid visa-waiver system is coming, and it will apply to visits across most of the continent.

Here’s what’s changing, when it’s happening, and what it means for your travel plans.

What is the new EU Entry/Exit System (EES)?

The Entry/Exit System, commonly abbreviated as EES, was first proposed by European leaders in 2016. Although it was initially expected to launch by 2022, the rollout took longer than planned and began appearing in airports toward the end of last year.

EES is a digital border system that records the entry and exit of non-EU travellers into and out of Europe. Instead of passport stamps, your movements will be logged each time you cross a border.

The system is designed to:
Speed up airport border checks.
Improve security across EU borders.
Track overstays more accurately

When you first use EES, you’ll need to provide four fingerprints and a facial scan at border control. The good news is that this information remains valid for 3 years unless you renew your passport.

Once registered, travellers will use self-service kiosks to scan their passports rather than having them manually stamped.

When does ETIAS come into play?

EES is only the first step. Once fully operational, it will pave the way for ETIAS, the European Travel Information and Authorisation System.

ETIAS is often described as a “European visa-waiver” (sometimes nicknamed a “Euro-visa”). It will be required for non-EU citizens — including Brits — travelling to countries in the Schengen Area.

With an approved ETIAS, travellers can:

Visit participating European countries.

Stay for up to 90 days in any 180 days

Travel freely between Schengen states.

(Cyprus is an exception, as stays there are calculated separately.)

Although EES launched in October last year, it won’t be fully rolled out until April 10. Because of that, ETIAS is not expected to begin until the final quarter of 2026.

According to the European Union, travellers don’t need to do anything yet, and an official start date for ETIAS will be announced several months before it goes live.

How much will the ETIAS visa-waiver cost?

Once ETIAS launches, applications will cost €20 (around £17). That’s almost three times higher than the original estimate given when the scheme was first announced.

A key thing to note:

The fee is non-refundable, even if your application is rejected.

Which countries will this apply to?

EES — and eventually ETIAS — will cover 29 European countries that are part of the Schengen agreement and have open borders. This includes 25 EU member states plus four non-EU countries.

The full list is:

Austria

Belgium

Bulgaria

Croatia

Czech Republic

Denmark

Estonia

Finland

France

Germany

Greece

Hungary

Iceland

Italy

Latvia

Liechtenstein

Lithuania

Luxembourg

Malta

Netherlands

Norway

Poland

Portugal

Romania

Slovakia

Slovenia

Spain

Sweden

Switzerland