Europe ends passport stamps
From April 2026 the Schengen Entry/Exit System (EES) will replace passport stamps with biometric registration — fingerprints and facial scans — plus stricter passport‑validity rules for non‑EU travellers including US and UK citizens TravelAndTourWorldTravelAndTourWorld. Meanwhile Air Transat has canceled all U.S. routes for spring 2026 as younger travellers shift toward Mexico and Europe — expect route changes and shifting availability this season TravelAndTourWorldWTOP.
Rollout began on October 12, 2025 and will reach full operation on April 10, 2026 travel-europe.europa.eu. Border checks will record a live facial image for every short‑stay non‑EU arrival and collect four fingerprints from visa‑exempt travellers, with passport and travel‑date data linked electronically to each biometric record schengenvisainfo.com. EES records are retained centrally for three years in routine cases and extended to five years for travellers who overstay their authorised stay, creating a searchable entry/exit history for border authorities schengenvisainfo.com. The EES applies across 29 countries — the 25 Schengen EU members plus Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein and Switzerland — while Ireland and Cyprus have opted out and will continue using passport stamps at their borders schengenvisainfo.com. Non‑EU passports must have been issued within the last 10 years and remain valid for at least three months after the traveller’s planned date of departure from the EU, and airlines and embassies are advising that failure to meet these criteria can lead to denied boarding or refusal of entry europa.eu. Montreal‑based Air Transat confirmed it will suspend all scheduled U.S. services from spring 2026, cutting its remaining Florida routes and redirecting aircraft to higher‑demand leisure markets in Europe, the Caribbean and Latin America with final U.S. withdrawals expected by June 2026 openjaw.com.
