BRITS heading abroad this year have been warned to expect huge queues at the airport due to new entry rules being introduced.
First announced back in 2020, the new Entry/Exit System (EES) has been constantly delayed since.
The new system will enforce extra security measures such as fingerprint and facial recognition checks.
After being delayed this summer by the Paris Olympics, It is now expected to launch later this year from October 6.
However, experts have warned that airports abroad, especially smaller ones without the same infrastructure, will struggle under the influx of Brits needing these checks at the border.
According to the Telegraph, the airline industry’s global trade body has warned that “urgent and coordinated action” is needed in time for the October date.
The concerns could lead to the EES system being delayed again.
Earlier this month, the Justice and Home Affairs Committee also warned of “serious delays” when the new rules are introduced.
In a letter to the Minister for Legal Migration and the Border, Tom Pursglove, committee members argued that the EES shouldn’t be introduced, “until a smartphone application for pre-registration is ready”.
They said: “The infrastructure and logistical requirements of the EES at the French juxtaposed borders in Dover, at the Eurostar terminals at St. Pancras, and at Eurotunnel in Folkestone have presented the most difficult challenges for operators.”
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has expressed similar concerns.
The IATA’s regional head of Europe Rafael Schvartzman said: “The industry is concerned there are critical unresolved items which will require urgent and coordinated action from both the EU and member states prior to its implementation.”
Dover’s head of EU exit Tim Reardon has said they have paused hiring extra staff in case EES is delayed again.
He added that they “hope it goes ahead” after their own preparations although is unlikely to get the timetable confirmation until mid-August.
Until the new rules are introduced, Brits still need to get their passports stamped on both exit and entry when travelling to Europe.
This is because, since leaving the EU, UK travellers can only stay in Europe for 90 days within an 180 day period.
Travellers who don’t get an exit stamp when returning from their holiday could see them banned from entering Europe.
This is because there is no evidence of leaving the country, meaning you could be seen as overstaying the 90 days.
The Sun’s Head of Travel Lisa Minot has given her expert opinion.
“THE looming introduction of the long-delayed European Entry Exit System could lead to yet more pain for passengers leaving the UK.
“The new system – designed to strengthen the European borders – will require every passenger to have their biometrics recorded.
“Every traveller will have to scan their passport and have a facial biometric before providing prints from the four fingers on their right hand.
“Children under 12 will have to do the biometric but will not have to have their fingerprints taken. All will then have to answer four questions about their reason for travel.
“Both fingerprints and facial biometrics will be required the first time a traveller uses the system, and then just one of the two for every subsequent trip. Then every three years you’ll be expected to go through the full process again.
“While airports across Europe have the space to add this additional process it is still going to add a huge amount of extra time to the customs checks.
“Although it will remove the need to have stamps in your passport, everything will still need to be checked either by a border officer or an e-gate.
“Where things could get really bad are at ports like Dover – where there are significant space constraints and multiple individuals will be travelling together in cars and coaches.
“Both Eurostar and Le Shuttle have invested millions in new facilities to process passengers but it is almost inevitable that the first few months of the system could lead to lengthy delays as we all get used to the new system.”
One woman found this out the hard way after returning from Spain.
Despite returning from Ibiza to the UK months before, she failed to get an exit stamp, so had two entry stamps in her passport.
They told local media: “On my last two occasions visiting Ibiza on direct UK flights, my UK passport has not been exit-stamped by Spanish immigration authorities upon leaving Ibiza back to the UK.
“I now have two ‘un-closed’ Spanish visits in my UK passport, making a nonsense of the 90-day rule, and running the risk of me being accused of overstaying my rolling 90 days’ allowance. Which I haven’t.”
Another traveller was held at the airport for an hour in Germany after returning from Majorca without a stamp.
And in 2021, Linda, who was travelling from Gibraltar to Spain, was banned from entering the country due to her passport not having a Spanish exit stamp from a previous trip.
The Foreign Office’s latest advice warns: “Border guards will use passport stamps to check you’re complying with the 90-day visa-free limit for short stays in the Schengen area.
“If relevant entry or exit stamps are not in your passport, border guards will presume that you have overstayed your visa-free limit.”
