Will new EU border check rules put you off travelling to Europe?

2 min read

3 weeks ago

British tourists have been warned this week that border check times could double or triple for Brits travellng to EU countries as new rules are set to come in. Fingerprint and photo ID checks will become mandatory for Brits travelling to Europe from next autumn.

Travellers coming from outside of the Schengen Area for the first time after October 6, will need to have their data recorded and entered into an EU database.

This could cause massive queues for Brits wanting to go on holiday, disrupting what would have been an easy break.

Cour des Comptes, France’s public finance watchdog, has predicted that the changes will at least double or even triple the current processing time.

Huge bottlenecks are expected at airports next autumn as a result.

READ MORE: Brits face huge airport queues as border check times set to ‘double or triple’

A report by Cour des Comptes read: “Even though the average check time has increased since Brexit for Eurostar, doubling or tripling wait time could drive some travellers to opt for a plane.”

The new Entry/Exit System (EES) coincides with the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) being brought in. Under this new plan, travellers to the EU will be faced with criminal record checks, like in the USA.

Paul Charles, chief executive of travel consultancy The PC Agency told the Telegraph: “With two new EU schemes due to come into force in the same year there is the danger of a bottleneck.

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“New schemes like these take time to bed in, and will undoubtedly create some complexity and confusion. Travel is supposed to be more seamless with technology, not more complex.”

As British tourists face these huge queues at the EU border, we want to know from Express.co.uk readers – would these changes make you think twice about travelling to Europe next year?

Let us know whether the new travel rules would put you off going on holiday below.