What are the EU's new travel rules and what impact will they have on Brits?

A surprising number of British holidaymakers are unaware of the huge changes happening this year that will affect the way they travel.

Travelers from Great Britain will have to follow the UK rules European Union's Entry/Exit Scheme (EES), which introduces changes to entering and leaving countries in the EU.

This is evident from an opinion poll among more than 2,000 people Co-op Insurance, two-thirds of Brits (63%) say they are not aware of the changes, including fingerprints and facial scans when crossing the border.

The EES system will involve Britons having to purchase a visa waiver to visit EU and Schengen countries.

Here we explain what the new border control system is and what you can expect when you go on holiday in Europe.

What is EES and how is it different from ETIAS?

Departure to Europe will change dramatically this autumn, with the introduction of the European Union's Entry/Exit scheme.

EES is an automated system that registers travelers from non-EU countries every time they cross a border into or out of the EU.

The system records the person's name, the type of travel document he or she uses, biometric data (fingerprints and facial images captured) and the date and place of entry and exit.

Once collected, the data is expected to remain in the system for three years, after a traveler's last trip to an EU country using EES. After this time has elapsed, it will be removed from the system.

A House of Commons spokesperson told Metro.co.uk that travelers will not need to re-register this data if they travel to multiple Schengen zone countries within the three-year period, but after that time they will.

The EU says about this website that 'the main benefit of the EES is time saving' as it replaces the stamping of passports and 'automates border control procedures' to make travel 'more efficient'.

It remains to be seen what impact the system will have on travel, but Co-op Insurance's survey shows that 46% of UK travelers feel put off by the process of storing this type of data for three years.

The EES scheme differs from the European Travel Information and Authorization Scheme (ETIAS), which will run alongside the former and require British travelers to apply for a visa waiver to visit most EU countries.

The expected cost of the visa waiver is €7 (£6) to visit any country in the Schengen area.

Will UK citizens have to use EES?

Yes. As a result of the British decision to leave the European Union, the British will have to follow the same rules as other countries outside the EU.

You must scan your passport at an automated self-service kiosk before crossing the border.

This process will unfortunately replace the manual stamping of passports for visitors to countries in the EU and the Schengen area who are not themselves citizens of the EU or Schengen countries.

EES applies upon entry to the 25 EU countries and four non-EU countries below:

EES will also operate at the Port of Dover, Eurostar and Eurotunnel terminals in Great Britain.

The Schengen rules limit visitors who are not nationals of the EU or Schengen countries to short stays of 90 days within a 180-day period. EES will ensure that people follow this rule and will record those who overstay, while EES data will be used to record denials of entry.

When will the new EES and ETIAS rules come into effect?

The exact date for both changes is yet to be confirmed.

The introduction of EES has already been postponed several times; It was originally intended to be implemented in 2022 and was then scheduled for May 2023 before being postponed until the end of last year.

The measure is now scheduled to come into effect from October 2024, after France requested that the measure be postponed until after the 2024 elections. Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris this summer.

ETIAS, which was due to be implemented later this year, will now start in mid-2025.

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