European Union Getting Rid Of Stamps: Going Fully Digital

Intro

In the past 5-10 years, we have seen many countries decide to get rid of stamps and begin moving towards digital. One part about landing in the European Union was how excited I was to get my stamps, but it seems like that will soon be coming to an end now… 

The Details

As of October 12th, 2025, the European Union will begin slowly introducing its new Entry/Exit system for foreign visitors. While the first 6 months are a gradual rollout, it seems that they hope to have this fully functional by April 2026, in time for the next summer season. 

So, how will the new system work? It plans to go fully digital, where passengers arriving will have their faces scanned, and their fingerprints taken. Think about the biometrics when landing in the United Kingdom, minus the fingerprint part since they don’t do that. 

From now on, there will be no more stamps when leaving Europe...

Interestingly, the European Union has stated that they plan to roll this out at all ports, land borders, and airports by 2026, which would be quite the rollout in terms of time. If you think about how large the EU is, that’s quite a few locations! 

I Am Conflicted Here 

Look, don’t get me wrong, the number of times I have waited 25 minutes at Frankfurt is literal absurdity. Immigration lines can get tedious, people take forever, and it’s just an overall annoying process. 

So as a whole, this will a great development in terms of saving time for travelers, just look at how much faster the UK has become in terms or arrivals. I remember used to having to wait for mad long, and now you breeze through in minutes.

What do you think? Would you rather a stamped system?

But, it comes at a cost. Getting a passport stamp is sort of a novelty on vacation. It’s a fun way to remind you of everywhere you have been, and it’s a bit of a flex 😉. I’ve loved filling up passports in under a year, and it’s gotten to the point where I hang these passports up on my wall as some of my greatest memories. From South Sudan to Yemen and as far as Somalia, they all tell their own story. 

What would be a nice addition is if they had a place like in Barbados, where you can go ask for a stamp. That means all parties will be happy with the updated biometrics… 

Final Thoughts

The European Union has announced that as of October 12th, they will introduce a biometric Entry/Exit system and begin to get rid of passport stamps. As April 2026 rolls around, passport stamps should be gone for good for most travelers, and with the new ETIAS system, it will also be streamlined very efficiently.