Australian travellers are facing new pre-travel requirements for both the United States and Europe. The US Global Entry programme and the EU's ETIAS both require advance authorisation before crossing their respective borders.
Airports can lower EES-related delays by combining technology with practical queue management. A coordinated plan across staffing, terminal design, and passenger messaging is central to resilient border operations.
Travel rules between the UK and Europe are entering another transition phase in 2025. The UK is widening ETA coverage while the EU prepares ETIAS and EES, making pre-trip checks increasingly important.
In May 2024, the EU's Entry/Exit System was expected by October that year. Eurostar had invested EUR 10 million in new kiosks at St Pancras, while Getlink was spending EUR 70 million at Eurotunnel. This is how the Channel crossing was being reshaped.
The European Commission says the Entry/Exit System is foreseen for October 2025 after earlier delays. Operators at Dover, Eurostar and Eurotunnel say they are preparing infrastructure, but uncertainty over the exact launch date keeps queue concerns in focus.
Days before the EES launch, tests at Eurotunnel kiosks showed roughly two minutes of screen time per person. Getlink invested EUR 80 million in the infrastructure while Eurostar fitted 49 kiosks at St Pancras.
When the EU Entry/Exit System takes effect, British passport holders will for the first time need to provide biometric data at European borders. This article, written in late 2023, previews what the new checks will require and what the processing challenges could look like at key UK departure points.
The EU's Entry/Exit System was pushed back once more in July 2024, shifting its expected October launch to at least November. The delay, driven partly by French concerns over capacity, continued a years-long pattern of postponements for the biometric border programme.
The EU's Entry/Exit System started a phased rollout on 12 October 2025, introducing biometric checks at Schengen borders for non-EU nationals. Full implementation is expected by April 2026.
Five years after the UK left the EU, mobility remains possible but less frictionless. New border routines, document checks, and incoming digital authorisation systems are reshaping how people move between Britain and Europe.