EU Entry/Exit System requires biometrics

The UK House of Commons Library said in a briefing published on May 13 that non-EU nationals travelling to most EU countries will face automated biometric checks under the bloc’s Entry/Exit System. The paper said travellers will have passports scanned and, in many cases, have fingerprints and facial images recorded at the border. The European Commission says the system is now fully operational across 29 countries using it. The changes apply to short-stay travellers from countries including the United Kingdom and the United States. ### What exactly does the EU system collect at the border? The House of Commons Library said the system records a traveller’s name, travel document details, biometric data, and the date and place of entry and exit. The Commission uses similar language on its official EES page and says the system also records refusals of entry. (commonslibrary.parliament.uk) Non-EU and non-Schengen citizens who do not need a visa for the EU will have fingerprints and facial images taken the first time they cross a border once the system is in operation, the Commons briefing said. On later trips, those biometrics are checked against the stored record, and some crossings will use self-service kiosks supervised by border officers. (commonslibrary.parliament.uk) The Commons briefing said travellers from countries that require a visa to enter the EU will generally not have fingerprints taken again by EES because they already provided fingerprints during the visa process. The Commission says the system replaces passport stamping and is designed to automate the detection of overstays. (commonslibrary.parliament.uk) ### When did EES actually start, after years of delays? The House of Commons Library said EES was launched on October 12, 2025 after several postponements from earlier target dates in 2022, 2023 and 2024. The system was then phased in over six months, with full operation targeted for April 10, 2026. The European Commission said on its EES page, updated April 10, that the system became fully operational on April 10, 2026. (commonslibrary.parliament.uk) The Commission said a 2025 regulation allowed a progressive start of operations before the full switch-over. ### Are British travellers still being exempted in Greece? Kathimerini reported on May 14 that Greece had streamlined processing for British travellers at Athens airport and said they would not be required to undergo biometric data registration. (commonslibrary.parliament.uk) The newspaper said Britain was Greece’s biggest tourism market, with nearly 5 million visitors in 2025. (home-affairs.ec.europa.eu) The same Kathimerini report said the wider EU system introduced on April 10 had increased waiting times at Athens International Airport. It said passport control for affected travellers had risen from about 20 seconds on average before the tighter checks to about a minute and a half, with around 6,000 non-Schengen passengers passing through on the busiest days and more than 15,000 expected at peak summer traffic. (ekathimerini.com) The House of Commons Library briefing does not describe any Greece-specific exemption for British passport holders. The European Commission’s EES page says the system applies to non-EU nationals travelling for a short stay in 29 participating countries, but it does not address any national carve-out in the material reviewed here. (ekathimerini.com) ### Does this affect U.S. travellers too, or only Britons? The European Commission says EES covers non-EU nationals travelling for a short stay, not only British citizens. That means visa-exempt travellers from countries such as the United States are also within scope when entering participating European countries for short stays. (commonslibrary.parliament.uk) Kathimerini said Athens airport has added resources for arrivals from major tourism markets including the United States, Canada, Australia, China and India as queues lengthened after the system’s rollout. The report linked the delays to fingerprinting and photographing travellers from non-Schengen countries. (home-affairs.ec.europa.eu) ### What is ETIAS, and do travellers need it now? The House of Commons Library said ETIAS is a separate travel authorisation for citizens of non-EU countries that do not require a visa for the EU. The official EU ETIAS website says it will start operations in the last quarter of 2026 and that travellers do not need to take action yet. (ekathimerini.com) The EU ETIAS site says applicants will fill in an online form and pay a 20-euro fee. It says the European Union will announce the specific launch date several months before the system starts. ### Where should travellers check before their next trip? The House of Commons Library said its May 13 briefing should not be relied on as legal or professional advice. (commonslibrary.parliament.uk) The Commission’s EES page and the EU’s official ETIAS website are the primary public sources setting out how the systems work and when they apply. (travel-europe.europa.eu) The next concrete milestone is ETIAS going live in the last quarter of 2026, according to the official EU website. Until then, travellers heading to Europe can already expect EES biometric checks at the border under the system the Commission says became fully operational on April 10, 2026. (home-affairs.ec.europa.eu) (commonslibrary.parliament.uk)