Delays inevitable following EU entry-exit rollout next year, Advantage boss warns

However, Lo Bue-Said, the consortium’s chief executive, said she was hopeful the new entry-exit system (EES) would improve the overall travel experience to the consortium owing to automation, although travellers’ first entry following the rollout is likely to be more time-consuming.

Under the EES, passengers arriving from outside the bloc must agree to having their finger prints and facial image captured the first time they cross an external EU border into Europe, such as from the UK into most major European destinations.

EES biometrics will be held on file for three years, so subsequent trips in the three-year period following that first arrival will be automated. The EES is expected to be rolled out in October 2024, with the EU’s new €7 US Esta-style pre-travel authorisation Etias, which is reliant on the EES, set to follow in 2025.

Lo Bue-Said said: “When the new entry and exit system is introduced next year, UK travellers will need to be prepared for potential delays on their first trip to any of the 29 European countries involved in the new system as they will need to have their fingerprints and facial images taken.

“With this information then valid for the next three years, we hope to see the use of automated border control checks and self-service systems increase the speed of processing times and improve the overall experience for all travellers."