Travelling on a cruise to Europe?
EU Entry/Exit Scheme (EES)
The EU Entry/Exit system is a new electronic system that will replace the physical stamping of passports when you go through passport control when arriving in and departing from your destination. It will register all entries and exits to and from the participating European countries, which basically means it will register your movements every time you cross a border in or out of the EU/Schengen area.
Once the new system is live, when you go through passport control on your arrival to, and departure from your destination, as well as providing your passport you will also need to have a photo of your face taken, and your fingerprints scanned.
When will it apply?
The launch of EES had initially been planned for the end of 2024, however this has been delayed and the EU has yet to confirm the new date.
Who will it apply to?
It will apply to those travelling for a short stay, from what the EU call a ‘third country’. This is people who are not an EU citizen or a citizen of the Schengen area. So it will apply to most people travelling from the UK.
A short stay refers to visits, holidays or business trips that have a duration of up to 90 days and are taken within a 180 day period. The vast majority of travel between the UK and Europe will be classed as a short stay.
Irish passport holders are exempt from EES. If you are a British passport holder but have EU residency, you are also exempt from EES.
People of all ages will need to go through the EES checks, however children under 12 will not need to provide fingerprints but they will need to have a facial scan taken.
Cruise information
If you are travelling on a cruise and stopping at any of the European countries involved in EES, whether you need to go through the EES system will depend on your where your cruise starts and where the itinerary ends.
If the cruise departure is from a UK port and returns to a UK port, you will not need to complete the EES registration.
Passengers travelling on a cruise will not need to do EES entry or exit checks for EU day trips that are part their itinerary.
If you are flying to a European country to pick up a cruise, you will complete the EES process at your arrival airport. If your cruise ends in an EU country, your exit information will be captured at the border check of the country you are flying home from.
EES is NOT the same as ETIAS
European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS)
ETIAS is the EU’s new travel authorisation which you will need to apply for ahead of your travels to the 30 European countries listed below once the system is introduced. It is a similar concept to the USA’s ESTA and the UK’s ETA scheme.
There is not yet an exact date as to when it will come into force, which means you do not need to have a ETIAS for travel to Europe at the moment.
When implemented, travellers will be able to apply for an ETIAS by the official website – www.europa.eu/etias.
As the system is not live, the website itself is not live or taking applications, so you cannot yet get an official ETIAS. Any websites claiming to offer this are false.
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