Keir Starmer

Post-Brexit, UK holidaymakers have typically had to endure queues at manned desks for passport checks at EU airports, as opposed to swiftly passing through automated gates equipped with facial recognition tech.

Germany is set to open its passport e-gates to some UK airline passengers by the end of August, cutting holidaymakers’ queue times.

This move will initially apply to frequent travellers and then pave the way for all UK nationals to use the service once Germany updates its entry systems to incorporate the EU’s Entry/Exit System (EES), which has been subject to delays. The agreement is a key feature of a bilateral treaty inked by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz during Merz’s inaugural official trip to Britain.

Post-Brexit, UK holidaymakers have typically had to endure queues at manned desks for passport checks at EU airports, as opposed to swiftly passing through automated gates equipped with facial recognition tech.

The result has often been lengthy waits, especially during busy travel times, highlighting one of Brexit’s most tangible consequences. A UK-EU summit in May concluded that there are no legal obstacles preventing UK citizens from using EU e-gates.

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Since then, according to the Cabinet Office, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, and Portugal have expanded e-gate access for UK visitors. EU relations minister Nick Thomas-Symonds said: “E-gates can make the slog of travelling through an airport that bit easier, which is why I have been working with the EU and member states to get more airports opened up to Brits abroad.

“With £30 billion of services trade between the UK and the EU, this agreement isn’t just good for holidaymakers, it’s good for British businesses too, making travelling easier between Europe’s biggest economies, to get deals done and boost growth.”

The pact also sees the UK and Germany commit to establishing a working group designed to clear the path for direct rail links between the nations. Services could potentially launch within the next decade.

The working group will unite transport specialists from both governments to explore how to tackle obstacles to a fresh route, including establishing required border and security procedures. It will also evaluate safety requirements and work alongside train companies.

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Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said: “We’re pioneering a new era of European rail connectivity and are determined to put Britain at the heart of a better-connected continent.

“The Brandenburg Gate, the Berlin Wall and Checkpoint Charlie – in just a matter of years, rail passengers in the UK could be able to visit these iconic sites direct from the comfort of a train, thanks to a direct connection linking London and Berlin.”

She noted that the deal could “fundamentally change how millions of people travel” between the UK and Germany by providing a “faster, more convenient and significantly greener alternative to flying”. In May, the UK and Switzerland penned a memorandum of understanding to tackle obstacles hindering a direct rail connection between the two nations.

Following this, Eurostar revealed ambitions in June to kick-start direct services that would link the UK with Germany and Switzerland. The company set out its vision for trains to travel from London St Pancras straight to Frankfurt and Geneva starting from the “early 2030s”.

Travellers could expect journey times of around five hours to Frankfurt and approximately five hours and 20 minutes to Geneva from London. Despite Eurostar’s current dominance over passenger train travel through the Channel Tunnel, various groups are actively working on introducing competing services.

Holidaymakers with UK passports are facing a major change at airports after Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer outlined the terms of the UK’s new ‘EU reset deal’ – and it could come into effect this year

A major change affecting holidaymakers with British passports is set to come into effect. Sir Keir Starmer announced the news as part of what he described as a ‘common sense’ deal with the EU, reached nine years after the UK first voted to leave the European Union.

Starmer described the deal as a “win-win” as he shook hands with the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, in London on Monday (May 19). “Britain is back on the world stage,” he declared. “[The deal] gives us unprecedented access to the EU market, the best of any country… all while sticking to the red lines in our manifesto.”

The PM went on to explain the impact of the “new partnership between an independent Britain and our allies in Europe” on voters’ daily lives.

“Let me set out why it is good for Britain,” he said in a speech posted to X.

“Today’s deal will […] help British holidaymakers. We’re confirming that they will be able to use e-gates when they travel to Europe, ending those huge queues at passport control.”

Since Brexit, British passport holders have been considered “visa-exempt third-country nationals” and have generally had to queue for manual checks at border control to have their passport stamped.

Brits were able to use e-gates at a limited number of airports in Spain and Portugal.

However, the EU has now agreed to ease checks on British travellers more universally.

The deal states that “there will be no legal barriers to e-gate use for British nationals travelling to and from European Union.”

When will I be able to use e-gates?

It has not yet been confirmed when the changes will come into effect.

However, the EU plans to launch its new Entry/Exit System (EES) in October 2025, replacing the need for non-EU citizens to have their passports stamped. It is thought that more EU airports will allow UK passengers to use the e-gates after the new system comes into effect.

The system will require travellers to have their fingerprints scanned and a photograph taken so they can be registered to a database. Their data will then be stored for three years.

Those who do not provide a fingerprint scan and photo will be denied entry.

Some EU airports will still require additional checks and Brits may not be able to use e-gates here.

Brits will also still be subject to the ’90-day rule’, whereby eligible non-EU citizens can spend 90 days in any 180-day period in the EU without a visa.

Travel records will be digitised under the new EES to enforce this rule and increase border security.

The ‘landmark deal’ is also expected to “lower food prices at checkouts”, improve UK defence and put “more money in people’s pockets,” according to Starmer. Von der Leyen described it as “a historic moment […] opening a new chapter in our unique relationship.”