The introduction of a new automated EU travel scheme to replace the manual stamping of passports will lead to delays for UK travellers, a union has warned.

The entry-exit system (EES), which will require UK citizens to provide fingerprints and facial biometrics before travelling to Europe, has already been delayed numerous times.

And now a union for UK border workers has warned that British passengers will face their own delays once the scheme is up and running.

Yahoo News UK examines how the system will work and what British travellers can expect when it eventually rolls out.

How does the EES work?

The entry-exit system (EES) is an automated IT system for registering non-EU nationals who are travelling to the EU for a short stay – up to 90 days within any 180-day period.

The system will register the traveller’s name, type of travel document, biometric data (fingerprints and captured facial images) and the date of place of entry and exit.

It will replace the current system of manually stamping passports. The system will be used by the 29 countries in the Schengen Area, which guarantees free movement to its 450 million EU citizens.

What does this mean for Brits travelling to Europe?

The EES will be used to register travellers from countries outside the EU, including the UK, each time they cross a border in or out of the bloc.

British travellers will have to scan their passports or other travel documents at an automated self-service kiosk before crossing the border, instead of having their passport stamped manually.

It is likely that UK citizens will have their fingerprints and facial images taken the first time they cross a border into the EU after the system is up and running. This date will be erased from the system three years after their last trip to an EU country using the EES. British children under the age of 12 will not have to give fingerprints.

The EES will operate at the Port of Dover and Eurostar and Eurotunnel terminals in the UK. There will be self-service kiosks in St Pancras station for Eurostar passengers, but passengers will have to get out of their cars to register at the Eurotunnel terminal in Folkestone, Kent.

At the port of Dover, car passengers will be provided tablet devices to register and can remain in their vehicles, but coach passengers will have to disembark and use kiosks.

The EU is working on an app so travellers can register their details online and ease congestion at border crossings, with British MPs calling for EES to be delayed until it is fully ready.

There are concerns that the system will mean delays for passengers in the UK.

Lucy Moreton, professional officer at the ISU, the union for borders, immigration and customs, told Yahoo News UK that should travellers should expect delays.

“In the early phases it is likely to lead to delays as folk who were not aware of the requirement try to travel,” she said.

Why is this happening?

The EU says the EES will modernise the management of its borders and eventually lead to an improved experience for travellers.

The system is designed to combat identify fraud and spot overstayers to the EU, as well as strengthen security within the bloc.

The EES has been delayed repeatedly – initially scheduled for a 2022 start, it was pushed back to May 2023, then the end of 2024 and then until November 2024. The European Commission announced in October 2024 that it was being postponed again, but there is no current start date for the project.

Doug Bannister, chief executive of the Port of Dover, told Kent Online last month that it is gearing up for a new start date of this November.

Moreton said she did not know if the EES will be up and running later this year.

“The start date has been delayed repeatedly,” she said. “Absent of significant political change in Europe, I do think it will come in at some point but precisely when is a matter for debate.

“The information we have is that border staff travelling daily will be exempt from the requirement. Border staff posted to France, Belgium etc are already there under visas.”

What does it mean for ETIAS?

The EES is linked to the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS).

This is a new entry requirement for travellers to enter 30 European countries – the 29 Schengen Area nations as well as Cyprus.

With ETIAS, which is not a visa, travellers must apply well in advance for a travel authorisation before starting their trip.

Travellers must go online and provide personal information such as address, passport information, current occupation, past travel to conflict zones or any criminal convictions, but unlike EES, no biometric data is collected.

The ETIAS, which will cost about £6, will be valid for three years or until the passport used for the application runs out, whichever comes first.

The ETIAS is expected to launch six months after the EES is fully rolled out, which could be sometime in 2026 – by then, UK travellers will need authorisation from both systems to travel to the EU.

Read more