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Major new airport rules to make travelling to Europe MUCH easier – what Starmer’s new Brexit deal means for your holiday
And how the new EES entry rules will be affected
BRITS heading to Europe will soon find it much easier thanks to new plans allowing holidaymakers to use airport e-gates.
Since the UK left the EU, British tourists have faced huge queues at the airport across Europe after being forced to use the standard passport gates.
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However, the UK government has confirmed a new deal that will allow UK holidaymakers to use the much faster e-gates when visiting Europe.
The talks, part of the UK-EU summit today, mean Brits can join other EU tourists in the shorter queues.
The Prime Minister said: "We will be and are pressing to get on with this straight away. "Because for holiday makers wanting to get out this summer, they will want to know that they can do so easily, without delay and chaos."
Sir Keir Starmer said he wanted to see the deal done "as soon as possible" claiming there was now no "inhibition" to it getting done.
Read more on travel rules
He said: "Today’s deal will also help British holidaymakers, confirming that they will be able to use e-gates when they travel to Europe, ending those huge queues at passport control.
"And I call on all EU members to help make this a reality without delay.”
The government said: "British holidaymakers will be able to use more e-gates in Europe, ending the dreaded queues at border control."
Tim Alderslade, chief executive of trade body Airlines UK, added: "This is excellent news for British holidaymakers and will enable an even smoother passenger experience for families travelling to the EU."
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EU relations minister Nick Thomas-Symonds previously backed the potential rule change.
He told Sky News: "I would love to see you being able to go through the border more quickly in that way.
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"That’s certainly something we’ve been pushing with the EU and I think that will be something that will be very helpful to British people.
"I think we can all agree that not being stuck in queues and having more time to spend, whether it’s on holiday or work trips, having more time to do what you want, would be a very sensible objective."
Plans to allow Brits to use e-gates in European countries were put forward back in 2023 by then-Prime Minister Rishi Sunak although never came into fruition.
Last summer, some Brits even missed their flights when travelling through Spain due to long passport queues while waiting to get them stamped.
Another Brit wrote on Tripadvisor: "My lunchtime arrival at Oslo left me with an hour and a half wait to get through manual passport control."
Another agreed: "The queue was horrendous, people couldn't even get into the passport hall. Took just over 90 minutes to get through."
However, the new rules could cause problems with passport stamping, which is still required from Brits entering and exiting Europe.
This is because of the new rules which only allow Brits to visit for 90 days in an 180 day period.
Anyone without an outgoing stamp could be mistakenly seen to have overstayed in Europe and even be banned from entering - which happened to a British tourist in Majorca back in 2022.
But it comes ahead of the constantly-delayed Entry/Exit System (EES) which will scrap the need for passport stamping entirely.
First announced in 2016, it finally hopes to be rolled out from October this year.
Instead of manual passport stamping, new biometric checks will take place instead.
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What would the new rules mean for British holidaymakers?
The Sun's Head of Travel Lisa Minot weighs in.
WHATEVER your views on the latest deal with the EU, there’s no doubt having access to e-gates in European airports can only be a good thing.
Since Brexit, British travellers have had to queue up and have their passports checked - and stamped - by customs officers.
This has led to lengthy queues - particularly at peak travel times like the school holidays.
So a return to being able to use the e-Gates at EU airports can only be a good thing.
But - and it’s a big BUT - we still will have to provide biometric details, a scan of our eyes and fingerprints, on our first visit to the EU once the new European Entry Exit System comes into force.
The much delayed new system - first announced in 2016 - is due to be rolled out from November this year.
So there is still the potential for significant disruption once that is brought in.
But going forward the chance to once more glide through e-gates alongside our fellow EU travellers can only be a good thing!
And next year will see the roll out of the ETIAS - a visa waiver that Brits will need to visit Europe.
Costing around €7 and lasting three years, it will be similar to the current ESTA Brits need when visiting the US.
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