UK tourists visiting Portugal this year have been issued a travel alert by the UK Foreign Office as entry rules are set to change.

A new Entry/Exit System (EES) is due to start across countries in Europe from October 2025 that will require British holidaymakers to register their fingerprints and a facial photo on arrival. The EES will apply to all non-EU nationals when visiting 29 countries in the Schengen Area, including Portugal. The system was initially due to start last year but it was delayed and is now scheduled to launch in October, replacing the current system of manually stamping passports with biometric data instead. The UK Foreign Office has updated its travel advice for Portugal ahead of the new system being introduced, warning UK tourists that the system is expected to start from October.

It says: “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 introduced, holidaymakers 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.

The Foreign Office warns there may be longer queues on arrival to Portugal as the EES registration is completed, but said tourists 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 new system is 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 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.