NEW travel rules are to be introduced later this year - with a start date now confirmed. First announced back in 2022, the Entry/Exit System (EES) will require Brits to go through additional checks when leaving and entering the country. Replacing the need for passport stamping , new biometric checks will be taken instead.
However it has been repeatedly delayed since first announced two years ago. But EU Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson confirmed that they now would be aiming for November 10 as the official start date, The Local reports . She said during a visit to the eu-LISA headquarters: "Different steps are legally required before the Commission could take the formal decision, but I am proud to reveal today that the 10th of November is the target day.
"The moment is finally there. There may have been times you believed it will never happen - but it's going to happen. Everything is coming together.
"We're in the final testing phase...
There is a real momentum now. Carriers, operators, train stations, airports, everyone is getting ready for the big day." The EES has been repeatedly delayed due to a number of problems, including IT issues and then the Paris Olympics.
And it is feared it could cause huge delays at the border due to the extra checks needed. Not only will passports be scanned, but passengers will also need to have fingerprints scanned and photos taken. This is especially the case at the UK-France borders, used by millions a year, where queues could reach.