The UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has issued new guidance for Europe travel.
In a new post on X, formerly Twitter, the FCDO explained that a rule change will come into force on October 12.
From this date, the European Union (EU) is introducing new border checks for anyone travelling by Eurostar, ferry, train or car. British travellers will have their photo and fingerprint taken before boarding, the FCDO said.
Further advice on Gov.uk explains that the EU’s new Entry/Exit System (EES) will begin on October 12.
The new system will change rules for Brits travelling to Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, 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.
Non-EU travellers, including those from the UK, will need to use self-service pre-registration kiosks when travelling by Eurostar from London St Pancras, while those using Eurotunnel at Folkestone will be directed to a purpose-built pre-registration area to use self-service pre-registration kiosks.
UK and other non-EU travellers using ferry services from the Port of Dover will be registered with kiosks at the Western Docks processing area, before being directed to the ferry terminal. Non-EU travellers entering the Schengen area by air or by ferry services departing from ports other than Port of Dover will be registered at the border on arrival in their destination country.
Guidance continues: “If you are flying to a country in the Schengen area, you may experience longer queue times when you arrive at your destination.
“Your digital EES record is valid for 3 years. If you enter the Schengen area again during this time, you will only need to provide a fingerprint or photo at the border, when you enter and exit.”