British tourists heading to Mallorca are facing two new travel hurdles which will come into force in the following months. The first is the European Union's new Entry/Exit System (EES). It uses biometric technology and will change the way holidaymakers cross the border when entering and leaving several European countries including Spain, Greece, Portugal, Italy and France. It will mean manual passport stamping or travellers from outside EU countries including Britain will be replaced with self-service kiosks.
It’s expected that the Entry/Exit system will be introduced at Palma airport by October 6 this year. Once the new scanners are up and running, they will log each tourist's name, the date and place of arrival or departure, their fingerprints and a facial image. This will then be used by the EU to track how long travellers stay in countries inside the Schengen area and record any overstayers or refusals of entry. At the moment British citizens can only spend 180 days a year in Spain in two batches of 90 days. This state of affairs has caused outcry for many non-resident British holiday home owners.
The new system comes ahead of another major travel change next year.
The European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) is scheduled to come into effect in 2025 and will require tourists from outside of the EU to apply for a permit before they travel to most countries in Europe.
When it is in place, holidaymakers from the UK will be able to apply online or via an app at a cost of £6 and most will receive approval within a few minutes, however those requiring further checks may have to wait up to 30 days. The permit will last for three years or until the person's passport expires - whichever is sooner. There are already fears that the two new travel systems could lead to delays at airports for British travellers.