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.
European visitors who do not need a visa now have to obtain a UK ETA before travelling. The system extends Britain’s pre-travel screening model and places new document-check duties on airlines, ferry operators and rail carriers.
Misinformation about ETIAS is widespread. From which countries require it to how long it is valid, many common claims are simply wrong. Here are seven myths — and the facts behind them.
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.
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.
ABTA's passports-and-visas page is broad rather than event-led. It works best as an early travel checklist, covering passport validity, visa checks, renewal timing and a separate warning for some British and Irish dual nationals returning to the UK.
ABTA's Brexit guidance treats travel to the EU as manageable, but more procedural than before. The page pulls together the core checks that now matter most, from passport validity and 90-day limits to insurance, border controls and trip-specific paperwork.
Brexit did not end travel between the UK and Europe, but it made it more restrictive, more administrative and often more expensive. British travellers now face tighter passport rules, stay limits, added border friction and fewer of the practical conveniences they once took for granted.
Every summer, some holidays collapse at the airport because travellers check their passport too late. In 2025 the safest approach is to remember that renewal speed helps, but only if you understand the rule for your destination.