With the recent further delay to the introduction of the EU’s Entry/ Exit System (EES), and the reintroduction of some border controls within the EU, we try to make sense of the current and future state of border controls between the UK and the EU. 

Border controls

Temporary reintroduction of border controls have now been announced by three of Belgium's neighbours. The first to move was Germany, followed by France, and now the Netherlands has announced that it will be introducing border checks from the end of November as part of its new Asylum package. The checks are likely to be implemented by the Dutch Royal Military Police. 

Travellers will need to be ready to provide valid identification and proof of residence, such as a passport and/ or EU residence card, at border checks.

EES

The introduction of EES has been much delayed having originally been scheduled for implementation in 2022. The latest delay was announced in mid-October when the planned launch date (10 November 2024) was pulled with the European Commission saying that EES was being postponed again and plans were being developed to roll out the EES in a phased manner “in the coming weeks”.

The EES is an automated IT system for registering travellers from non-EU countries each time they cross a border into or out of the EU. Travellers will need to scan their passports or other travel documents at an automated self-service kiosk prior to crossing the border. The EES will replace manual stamping of passports. The system will register the person’s name, type of the travel document, biometric data (fingerprints and captured facial images) and the date and place of entry and exit.

Once the EES is in place, non-EU/Schengen citizens who do not require a visa to enter the EU will need to provide fingerprint and facial images at the first instance that they cross into the EU. That data will be stored in the system and erased for data protection reasons three years after the last trip to a country using the EES system. Children under the age of 12 will be exempt from the requirement to give fingerprints.

The EES will apply when entering 25 EU countries (all Member States apart from Cyprus and Ireland) and four non-EU countries (Norway, Iceland, Switzerland and Lichtenstein) that are part of the border-free Schengen area.

The system will apply to all nationals of countries that are not in the EU or Schengen when travelling to the 29 countries operating EES for short stays. Non-EU citizens who are legally resident or have long-stay visas to live in an EU Member State will be exempt from EES.

Isn’t there an app for that?

Apparently, work is being undertaken in the EU on an online pre-registration process for EES to minimise delays and other issues at the border, but the app for this was not expected to be ready for the 10 November launch. In addition, several EU member States indicated that their systems were not ready and the EU’s software had not been tested at UK border points.

The European Commission has previously insisted that it aims to launch the EES at all relevant border crossings simultaneously. However, when announcing the latest postponement in mid-October, the EU Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson said there was not a new timetable for its implementation, but it would be “a phased approach, step by step." We will see how the timetable develops into 2025.

ETIAS

EES is designed to operate in conjunction with the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS). ETIAS has also been repeatedly delay alongside EES, as it is meant to come into operation a few months after EES.

ETIAS will apply to British and other non-EU/non Schengen country citizens travelling to all EU Member States, with the exception of Ireland. It will also apply for travel to the four non-EU Schengen countries.

The citizens of a number of countries (including the UK) do not need currently need a visa to travel to the EU/Schengen area. The ETIAS travel authorisation will be required for citizens of all countries that have such a visa-waiver to travel to the EU/Schengen area. An exception will be for UK-Ireland travel as there is a Common Travel Area between these two countries.

Applications for an ETIAS authorisation will be made online or via a mobile app and submitted data will be checked against EU information systems for borders, justice and security. Normally travel authorisations will be issued within minutes, but any applicants that raise flags on the EU systems may require further security checks, which could delay authorisation for up to 30 days.

An ETIAS authorisation will last for three years (after which it will need to be renewed), or until the holder’s passport expires (whichever is sooner). Each authorisation costs €7 for people aged 18 to 70, but will be free for people aged under 18 or over 70.

UK nationals and their family members who have rights to reside in the EU under the Withdrawal Agreement (i.e. they were resident in an EU Member State at the end of the Brexit transition period on 31 December 2020) are exempt from ETIAS. And can travel to other EU/Schengen countries without an ETIAS authorisation as long as they hold documents ((for Belgium your M-card or equivalent) proving their status.

ETIAS is similar to the US ESTA system, where visitors pay a one-off fee (currently $21) for a travel authorisation which lasts for two years.

ETA

The UK Government is also introducing a similar system for non-UK travellers to the UK, the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA). This has been implemented since the end of 2023 for visitors from Gulf countries and is now being expanded globally.

Everyone wishing to travel to the UK, except UK and Irish citizens, will need to obtain permission to travel in advance either through an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) or an eVisa.

From 27 November 2024, eligible non-Europeans can apply for an ETA and will need an ETA to travel to the UK from 8 January 2025. ETAs will then extend to eligible Europeans from 5 March 2025, who will need at ETA to travel to the UK from 2 April 2025.

ETAs are digitally linked to a traveller’s passport and ensure more robust security checks can be carried out before people begin their journey to the UK, helping to prevent abuse of the immigration system. An ETA costs £10 and permits multiple journeys to the UK for stays of up to six months at a time over a period of two years or until the holder’s passport expires, whichever is sooner. Anyone needing to apply for an ETA will be able to do so through a quick and simple process using the UK ETA app.