Before the planned 2024 launch of the EU's Entry/Exit System, ABTA's message was clear: travellers needed to expect a new border routine, not just another headline. The biggest early change was the first-time registration process, which was expected to slow some crossings before the system settled in.
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.
At the start of 2025, the central message for British travellers was that the EU's next border changes were still delayed. The Entry/Exit System had to come first, and the later ETIAS permit could only follow once that system had been fully running for months.
The promise of more eGate access for British travellers sounded dramatic, but the practical picture was narrower. Faster processing at some airports was possible, yet the legal status of UK travellers at the EU border and the underlying entry rules were not being rewritten.
A UK-EU summit agreement on 20 May 2025 confirmed there are no longer legal barriers to Britons using e-gates at EU borders after EES launches. The practical change, however, will not arrive until October at the earliest.
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 Parliament adopted a significantly updated Eurodac regulation on 10 April 2024, expanding the biometric data collected from asylum seekers and adding new tools to identify security threats.
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.
The Council's 2018 adoption of the ETIAS regulation created the legal basis for the EU's planned pre-travel screening system. It clarified who would need an authorisation, how applications would be checked and why approval would still not guarantee entry.
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.