British tourists visiting Spain this year have been issued a travel warning from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs ahead of a major change to European Union travel regulations. Starting in October 2025, UK villas will need to register fingerprints and face photos at the Spanish border before being allowed to enter the country.
The stricter rules are part of a new entry/exit system (EE) designed to improve border security in the EU and its neighbors by reducing overstaying visitors and reducing illegal transitions within the Schengen region. The EES was originally scheduled to be released last year, but was delayed and is expected to launch in October, replacing the current system of manually stamping passports with biometric data.
The UK Foreign Office updated its Spanish travel advice this week, warning that a long queue could occur on arrival as a new system is expected to launch later this year.
“The EU is planning to implement an Entry/Exit System (EES), a new digital border system that will change the requirements for UK citizens traveling to the Schengen region.
“If you are traveling to a country in the Schengen region using your UK passport, you will need to register biometric details such as fingerprints and photos upon arrival. EES registration replaces the current system of manually stamping your passport when a visitor arrives in the EU.
“EES is scheduled to begin in October 2025. It is not currently operating. The European Union will notify you of specific EES launch dates prior to launch.”
Once the EES is in operation, British people will need to create digital records on their first visit to the port or airport's Schengen area upon arrival. This includes submitting fingerprints and taking photos.
As EES registration completes, there may be a long queue upon arrival, but Brits do not need to provide information before traveling to the Schengen area.
EES Digital Records will remain valid for three years, so if you visit the Schengen area again during this period, you will simply have to enter and provide your fingerprint or photo at the border upon exit.
For EES purposes, “non-EU national” means travelers who do not hold nationalities of the European Union or nationalities of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland, and “short-term stay” means up to 90 days within 180 days. This period is calculated as a single period in all European countries using EE.
Entries and exits, or rejections of entries, are registered electronically in EES, but in Cyprus and Ireland, passports are still manually engraved, despite being an EU country.
The system applies to non-EU citizens visiting 29 countries in the Schengen region, including popular tourist destinations such as Spain, France, Portugal, Italy and Greece.
