Essential EU travel checklist

Travelling to Europe – top tips for travel organisers  

• Everyone in the group needs to check their passport’s issue and expiry date and allow plenty of time to apply for a new passport if required 
• Be prepared for additional biometric checks being introduced at the EU border from 12 October 2025
• Passengers will need to apply online for an ETIAS permit to travel towards the end of 2026
• Ensure the trip has adequate travel insurance with medical cover 
• It is highly recommended that all travellers take a valid GHIC card

Travelling to Europe 

New EES border checks for groups visiting the EU 

New systems are being introduced for non-EU nationals travelling to Europe. Here's what you need to know about the proposed entry systems:

• The upcoming Entry/Exit System (EES) will use self-service booths to collect the fingerprints and scan the faces of each traveller entering the EU. The new machines will be introduced at the EU border, including at the Port of Dover, the Eurostar and Eurotunnel terminals (where French border controls take place before crossing).
• The system will be introduced from 12 October 2025 with each member state having six months to introduce the technology across all its external border crossing points.

Plans for the new EU online travel permit 

Once the EES is embedded, the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) will be available for all non-EU citizens, including children. There is no firm date for the introduction of ETIAS yet, but it is not expected until the end of 2026.

ETIAS is an online travel permit, similar to ESTA in the USA, which gives British citizens permission to enter the EU. The new online system is expected to cost €7 (free for under 18s) and be valid for 3 years. 

GHICs and travel insurance  

The UK Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) gives holders access to state-provided emergency healthcare for free or reduced cost in the EU and Switzerland. The GHIC can help reduce out-of-pocket medical expenses in the event that someone falls ill or has an accident while on a school trip to EU. 

If you have the old-style European Health Insurance Card (EHIC), you can replace it with a GHIC.

Applying for a GHIC is free of charge on the NHS website. Beware of unofficial websites that charge you a fee to apply.  

Whether or not you have a GHIC, your group will need travel insurance to cover emergency healthcare costs.

Check the rules on passport expiry and issue dates for your travel destination 

Each EU country sets its own entry rules relating to the validity of British passports. 

For most EU countries—including France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Belgium—your passport:

• Date of issue must be less than 10 years before the date you enter the country
• Expiry date must be at least 3 months after the day you leave the country

To check the passport requirements for your specific destination visit the Foreign Office website. 

Allow plenty of time to apply for a new passport if required.

Collective (group) passports are not advised 

Many countries have stopped accepting collective passports. We advise all our COGO groups only travel on individual passports - not a collective passport.

Don't get caught out by mobile roaming charges

The guarantee of free roaming throughout the EU ended on 1 January 2021. This means that if your operator has reintroduced roaming charges you may now be charged more for using your mobile device in the EU, Switzerland or Iceland. 

EU visa rules for non-UK nationals in your group 

Some EU countries currently offer their own visa exemptions for ‘third-country nationals’. You can find a country-by-country list of visa exemption schemes for other EU destinations on the European Commission website (under “2 exemptions Article 6(2)”).