Nine Month Brexit Warning for Anyone with a UK Passport

British passport holders have been given a nine-month warning which could affect their travel and change how the entire process of going on holiday works.

Passport holders have been told they could have to give data like fingerprints when travelling to and from Europe, and that from November, returning tourists will not have their passports stamped anymore. This is because the process is becoming digitised.

Since Brexit, UK tourists have had their passports stamped when they enter or exit the Schengen Area. The stamping was often used to nail passengers who overstayed their visas, reports Birmingham Live.

However, an automated entry and exit system (EES) will now be used to digitally register non-EU visitors. The European Commission’s department for Migration and Home Affairs said: "EES will replace the current system of manual stamping of passports, which is time-consuming, does not provide reliable data on border crossings and does not allow a systematic detection of overstayers."

In a statement about the digitisation of the application process, visa facilitation organisation VFS Global said, “We are fully aware that the EU plans to digitise the visa application process, and as an external service provider to virtually all EU and Schengen governments, VFS Global looks forward to work with these governments to support them on their transformation journey.”

Each time a person crosses an EU external border, the system will register their name, type of travel document, biometric data (fingerprints and facial images) and the date and place of entry and exit. It will also record refusals of entry.

The 27 Schengen countries include Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.

It was originally due to launch in 2022, but was delayed until May 2023 and again until November. Travellers with visa-free access to the Schengen Area will be required to obtain travel authorisation online through the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS).

February 18, 2023