Britons have an agreement with the European Union. Their travels are supposed to be easier

The Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) notes that the agreement “will have no impact on this summer” and that the course of the summer season will also depend on the decisions of individual EU member states to end passport stamping.

Currently, at some airports, such as in Portugal, Britons can use e-gates, but their passports are still stamped due to Brexit regulations limiting visa-free stays in the European Union to 180 days a year and a maximum of 90 days at a time.

Three scenarios for British people going through passport control

ABTA Public Relations Director Luke Petherbridge indicated that there are three scenarios regarding access for British citizens to e-gates in EU countries: no access at all, access granted at the discretion of a border officer, and permanent access granted by a given country.

In the case of the second and third solutions, the passport must still be stamped – this allows to determine the length of stay. However, this may change after the implementation of the EES system.

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Starmer assured on Monday that he had "urged EU member states" to allow Britons to use e-gates as soon as possible. "We will press on with this. There are no obstacles left, so I want it to happen quickly," he said.

However, Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch accused the prime minister of making promises that went beyond the scope of the agreement. "The prime minister boasts that we will avoid queues at airports because we will have access to the European Union's e-gates. That sounds great, but it is not true, because some airports already allow this, and the agreement does not guarantee anything, because the final decision is up to each country individually," she points out.