On October 12th 2025 the new entry and exit rules will come into effect across the Schengen area. For those unaware of the changes it might bring you some added stress but I’m here to tell you, don’t worry!
Simply put the days of manually stamping a passport when traveling in the majority of the EU are over and as someone who loves to collect their stamps, it does bring me a tinge of sadness. If you are heading to a country in the Schengen area, (a list is at the end of this post), for a short stay with your UK passport you have to now register your biometric details. As a technophobe myself I am personally not too keen on this, though if it means I can’t travel otherwise, I’ll jump the hoops!
Whilst the system is still being adjusted you might be lucky enough to get the treasured stamp in your passport still, however, once fully operational, the stamps throughout the area will be a thing of the past. Along with this we are being warned that whilst the systems are switching over it may take longer to get through the borders, and I thought technology was meant to make life easier!
So what does this mean for you and your first trip to the Schengen area once it’s all up and running? The first time you travel and arrive at your destination you will be required to submit your fingerprints and have your photo taken in a dedicated booth, hence the delays at the beginning of the scheme. The good news is you do NOT currently need to do anything different prior to your travel, you will simply do this on arrival to the country. The record you provide will be valid for three years and if you travel again in that time you will only need to provide a fingerprint or a photo at the border rather than both.
Now this is all happening to increase security and reduce illegal immigration helping to stop visitors from overstaying their welcome. Though the next security change will probably be rather less enthusiastically embraced. That is the new European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS). This is expected to come into force in 2026 though a specific date has yet to be announced. Though when it is introduced it will mean you as a UK passport holder will need to apply for authorisation to enter the Schengen area, provide personal information and details about your trip and pay €20 for the privilege.
So if you are traveling to the Schengen area soon, be sure to check that you have ticked all the boxes. For further information head over to the .gov.uk site the link below.
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/eu-entryexit-system
The countries in the Schengen area are:
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, and Switzerland.
The Republic of Ireland and Cyprus are not within the Schengen area, and therefore EES is not applicable when traveling to either of these countries.
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