Europe’s new travel rules for Australians start this week
Colourful passport stamps are making way for digital kiosks, fingerprints and facial scans.
By David Flynn, April 8 2026
Australians visiting European countries from this week can expect to face longer queues at airport and railway immigration checkpoints, as a new digital border system comes into effect.
The long-delayed Entry/Exit System (EES), which has been progressively rolled out since late last year, will be fully implemented as of Friday April 10.
Instead of simply having their passport stamped, visitors will need to provide their fingerprints and undergo a facial scan to create a unique biometric profile.
Although that data will speed entry to Europe on future visits across the next three years, the initial stage of collecting this information – done at special kiosks – will take longer, leading to long lines and logjams at the border.
The EES applies to all non-EU travellers visiting twenty-nine European countries – including France, Italy, Greece, Germany, Spain, Sweden, Denmark, and Switzerland – for stays of up to 90 days within any 180-day period.
It covers visits for tourism, business, or short-term family travel, and includes visa-free travel such as on an Australian passport.
The EES system will be in place across the EU's 29-country Schengen Zone.
The EU says its new system will prevent “irregular migration” and use biometric data to stop travellers with fake identities or who are overstaying, and flag travellers who may pose a security risk.
And with the EES fully in place, this paves the way for the launch of the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) visa-waiver system in late 2026.
A similar scheme to the United States’ ESTA and the UK ETA, the ETIAS will carry a €20 (AUD$35) fee.
Read more: Australians face $36 fee to visit Europe
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
27 Jul 2016
Total posts 60
Just back from Italy, where we had our faces scanned and passports stamped, but when I asked about the fingerprint machine the officer laughed and said it was broken. Oh, Italy...
Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards
10 Nov 2011
Total posts 136
I did this a couple of weeks ago arriving in Frankfurt. Took all of two minutes.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
16 Mar 2016
Total posts 60
I flew into Paris CDG from Kuala Lumpur on MH20 on Thursday 2nd April 2026 and I was expecting chaos or at least long lines given what I had seen and the number of planes that seemed to be unloading when I arrived around 7.40am but when I got to the passport section I placed the passport on an e-gate type scanner stood on the footprints I think and then to a manned desk who looked at my Australian passport and said nothing and motioned me on my way all in under two or three minutes with only one person in front of me at the e-gate. Very happy with the process.
28 Jan 2024
Total posts 3
We go to Europe often and the time taken can vary massively. Firstly, for some people the time can be very quick, for others, and it might be because of faulty machines, it can take a long time with many retries. If many fights land at the same time, the queue can be a few hours. The biggest, and most annoying, issue is that, even after you have your biometrics taken, there is no separate queue on subsequent visits: you still need to join the back of the queue of all the people who are getting their biometrics taken for the first time. Europe has a lot to learn.
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