UK tourists visiting Spain this year have been issued a travel alert by the Foreign Office ahead of a major change to European Union (EU) travel rules. From October 2025, British holidaymakers will be required to register their fingerprints and a facial photo at the Spanish border before being allowed to enter the country.

The stricter rules are part of a new Entry/Exit System (EES) designed to improve border security within the EU and its neighbouring countries by stopping visitors overstaying, and to reduce illegal migration within the Schengen area. The EES was initially due to launch last year but it was delayed and is now expected to start in October, replacing the current system of manually stamping passports with biometric data instead.

The UK Foreign Office updated its travel advice for Spain this week, warning UK tourists that the new system is expected to start later this year, which could result in longer queues on arrival.

It said: “The EU plans to introduce the Entry/Exit system (EES). This is a new digital border system that will change requirements for British nationals travelling to the Schengen area.

“If you are travelling to a country in the Schengen area using a UK passport, you will be required to register your biometric details, such as fingerprints or a photo, when you arrive. EES registration will replace the current system of manually stamping passports when visitors arrive in the EU. ​

“EES is expected to start in October 2025. It is not currently in operation. The European Union will inform about the specific start date of the EES before its launch.”

Once the EES is in operation, Brits will need to create a digital record on their first visit to the Schengen area at the port or airport when they arrive, which will include submitting fingerprints and having a photo taken.

Longer queues on arrival are likely as the EES registration is completed, but Brits don’t need to provide any information before travelling to a Schengen area.

The EES digital record will remain valid for three years, so if you visit a Schengen area again during this period you’ll only need to provide a fingerprint or photo at the border when you enter and exit.

The EU says for the purpose of the EES, ‘non-EU national’ means a traveller not holding the nationality of any European Union country or the nationality of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland, and ‘short stay’ means up to 90 days within any 180-day period. This period is calculated as a single period for all the European countries using the EES.

Entries and exits, or entry refusals will be electronically registered in the EES, but in Cyprus and Ireland – despite being countries of the EU – passports will still be stamped manually.

The system applies to non-EU nationals visiting 29 countries in the Schengen Area, including popular tourist destinations like Spain, France, Portugal, Italy and Greece.