The “post-Brexit reset deal” was agreed between the UK government and the European Union (Monday 19 May) to much fanfare. It was announced that “British holidaymakers will be able to use more e-gates in Europe, ending the “dreaded queues at border control”.
Post-BREXIT, Britain became a “visa-exempt third country” in 2016. Since then, Britons have been ushered away from speedy e-gates reserved for nationals of the EU and European Economic Area, to trudge slowly through the “other nations” queue.
It’s a nightmare not just for Britons who have endured hour-long queues in busy airports such as Amsterdam’s Schiphol, but also airport officials having to check and stamp the passports of these travellers.
Nick Thomas-Symonds, European Union Relations minister, says it will give British travellers “more time to spend on holiday or work trips… doing what you want, not being stuck in queues”.
So, what does this actually mean, and when will Britons notice the easing? It’s hard to say.
The roll-out of e-gates to UK travellers does happens occasionally anyway for example at Rome’s Leonardo da Vinci Rome Fiumicino Airport because it helps the authorities process travellers more efficiently. Perhaps with the new impetus from Brussels this could happen more often. However, using e-gates is not by any means fast track.
The snag is the delays in getting the EU’s entry-exit system (EES) up and running. If all goes to plan, EES will be finally rolled out in October 2025.
What is EES?
The EES is a system being put in place to create a database of nationals from “third countries”, such as British visitors, by digitally recording facial biometrics and fingerprints. The operation involves every Schengen area external border being connected to the database to digitally register the comings and goings of travellers rather than stamp passports. It will also identify those travellers who overstay their 90 in every 180 day allowance.
In time, this will enable British passport holders to pass through an e-gate with no further checks.
Once EES is fully functional, the Etias “euro-visa” will come online around six months later. The digital infrastructure will also be able to verify if the traveller has a valid permit.
Incidentally, thanks to the reset deal, pet passports will be introduced for dogs and cats.
Image by Elliott Killingbeck – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0