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For many years, the ritual of getting into Europe has been the identical: a pleasant greeting, a fast look at your passport, and that satisfying ‘thump’ of a contemporary passport stamp. However that entire course of is about to vary in a giant means, and the primary main shift is going on subsequent month.
Right here at Travel Off Path, we’re all about providing you with the actual, on-the-ground intel you’ll want to journey smarter. The European Union has been speaking about new, high-tech border programs for years, making a ton of confusion. Now, it is lastly occurring, and it is kicking off with a complicated, country-by-country rollout.
The massive information? Beginning October 12, 2025, Individuals heading to the gorgeous coastlines of Croatia would be the first to expertise a totally new entry course of, one that features getting fingerprinted and photographed.
First, What Is This New System?
This new course of is a part of the EU’s Entry/Exit System (EES). The only means to consider it’s this: the EES is formally changing passport stamps.
As a substitute of a border officer stamping your passport, you’ll use a self-service kiosk to scan it. In your first entry into a rustic utilizing the system, additionally, you will have to offer your biometric information: particularly, four fingerprints and a facial photograph.
This info is then saved securely for 3 years. On subsequent journeys, the method shall be a lot quicker; you will simply want a fast facial scan to confirm your identification towards the profile already within the system. The purpose is to hurry up border crossings and improve safety.
Maintain On, Is This The Identical as ETIAS?
That is probably the most complicated half for vacationers, so let’s make it crystal clear: No, the EES is totally separate from the ETIAS.
Consider it like this:
- EES (The Kiosk): That is the bodily course of on the border. It is the brand new high-tech system that takes your fingerprints and picture as an alternative of stamping your passport.
- ETIAS (The Web site): That is the online travel authorization you have to to use for earlier than you permit dwelling. It is the $7.50 go that’s nonetheless scheduled to launch within the final quarter of 2026.
You may’t have one with out the opposite, which is why the rollout has been so difficult. The ETIAS system cannot launch till the EES infrastructure is working.
What To Anticipate in Croatia Beginning October 12
Croatia’s Ministry of Inside has confirmed it’s formally activating its system, making it the first European nation to take action.
If you’re flying into Zagreb or Dubrovnik, or crossing one other worldwide border into Croatia after this date, you may be directed to the brand new EES kiosks. You’ll scan your passport, present your fingerprints and picture, and reply a couple of questions on the display screen. It is a change, nevertheless it’s designed to be an easy course of.
What About The Relaxation Of Europe?
That is the place the “complicated rollout” is available in. In the event you fly into main airports like Paris (CDG), Rome (FCO), or Madrid (MAD) this fall, you’ll most likely see the brand new EES kiosks already put in. Nonetheless, they’re not but obligatory for all vacationers.
For now, these different nations are sticking to the plan of a coordinated, Schengen-wide launch within the first half of 2026.
Europe’s New Journey Guidelines: The Easy Information
It is complicated, we get it. Select a system beneath to get a easy, easy-to-understand breakdown of what is altering.
👆The EES (Entry/Exit System)
- What it’s: A brand new, automated system on the border that replaces passport stamps with digital scans.
- What you will do: In your first entry, you will present your fingerprints and a facial picture at a self-service kiosk.
- When it begins: Croatia begins the rollout on October 12, 2025. The remainder of the Schengen Space will observe within the first half of 2026.
🛂The ETIAS Journey Cross
- What it’s: A compulsory on-line journey authorization, just like the ESTA for visiting the U.S. It’s NOT a visa.
- What you will do: Apply on-line earlier than your journey. It prices about $7.50 and is legitimate for 3 years.
- When it begins: The ETIAS will launch *after* the EES is absolutely operational, at present scheduled for the final quarter of 2026.
Which means that in the intervening time, you will face a patchwork of programs. You will get your fingerprints scanned in Croatia, however you will nonetheless get a basic stamp in your passport for those who fly to France or Italy.
That is the primary, concrete step in a serious shift for European journey. To remain on prime of this and another adjustments, one of the best software is our 1 Minute Trip Check, which supplies you the real-time entry necessities for any vacation spot.
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