European Entry-Exit Scheme - coming 12th October

The European Union’s Entry/Exit System (EES) is finally scheduled to launch on 12 October 2025, following several years of delay. The system will register non-EU nationals, including UK citizens, each time they enter or leave the Schengen Area, replacing the current practice of manually stamping passports. The EES will record a traveller’s name, biometric data (facial image and fingerprints), travel document details, and the time and place of entry and exit. Its stated purpose is to strengthen border security, identify overstays, and modernise the management of external borders. The system will be phased in over the next few months.

For British citizens, the introduction of EES represents a significant change compared with the system that existed before Brexit. As the United Kingdom is no longer part of the EU or the Schengen Area, UK passport holders are now treated as so called “third-country nationals” under European border rules. This means that British travellers will be required to provide biometric information and be registered in the EES when entering Schengen countries. The new system will apply across all air, sea, and land borders of participating EU and Schengen states, including the “juxtaposed controls” at the Channel ports, the Eurotunnel terminal in Folkestone, and Eurostar stations. 

At our 2025 Liberal Democrat Autumn Conference, party members adopted a motion titled “Making the UK–EU Reset Summit Count” (Motion F31). Among other points concerning future UK-EU cooperation, the motion called for a national campaign to inform UK citizens about the requirements that will apply after the introduction of the EES. It also asked for clarity on when UK citizens will be able to use airport e-gates across the EU, as promised in the recent reset agreement.

Local Liberal Democrats in Kent have highlighted preparations for the new system at the Port of Dover and the Channel Tunnel, where infrastructure and signage are being updated to accommodate the EES process.

The Entry/Exit System marks a major operational change in how British citizens travel to and from continental Europe. It stems directly from the UK’s status outside the EU following Brexit and reflects the broader shift in how cross-border travel is now managed between the UK and its European neighbours.