Eu Countries Officially Doing Away With Passport Stamps

THE DAYS of stamping passports look to beryllium down america … or, astatine nan very least, for these 29 countries. In a caller update to nan Entry/Exit System affecting non-EU travellers entering and exiting an EU aliases Schengen area country, these areas are doing distant pinch passport stamps, opting alternatively for a integer registration of nan traveller. The alteration intends to make introduction and exit into these countries faster, pinch shorter queues, amended security, and much businesslike checks for forged aliases falsified documents. However, for galore travellers who cod stamps connected their passports arsenic souvenirs, this marks nan extremity of an era.

Beginning connected October 12 of this year, 29 EU and Schengen area countries will beryllium replacing beingness stamps connected passports, and by April 10, 2026, nan traveller’s integer photograph and fingerprints will beryllium registered successful nan strategy to people their introduction aliases exit into 1 of these countries.

While nan alteration will region what is galore travellers’ root of pridefulness – a passport afloat of colourful and divers stamps – nan alteration will yet lead to a much businesslike and digitalised process, not to mention that it will make travelling safer.

Stamp collectors whitethorn not beryllium wholly retired of luck, however: immoderate airports will still beryllium offering commemorative stamps arsenic a souvenir for anyone who requests it.

These are nan 29 countries wherever passport stamps are officially being phased out:

• Austria
• Belgium
• Bulgaria
• Croatia
• Czechia
• Denmark
• Estonia
• Finland
• France
• Germany
• Greece
• Hungary
• Iceland
• Italy
• Latvia
• Liechtenstein
• Lithuania
• Luxembourg
• Malta
• Netherlands
• Norway
• Poland
• Portugal
• Romania
• Slovakia
• Slovenia
• Spain
• Sweden
• Switzerland