- The EU’s biometric Entry-Exit System is now fully operational across 29 countries including Spain and France.
- British travelers are advised to allow extra time at borders for mandatory facial scans and fingerprinting.
- Spain faces additional high-speed rail disruptions in Andalusia following a train collision near Adamuz.
(SPAIN AND FRANCE) — The UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office updated its travel advice for Spain and France on February 18, 2026, adding information about the European Entry-Exit System as the new border regime became fully operational across all 29 Schengen countries on Friday.
No new travel warning specifically for Spain and France had been issued as of April 10, 2026. Instead, the latest changes for both countries centered on entry requirements tied to the European Entry-Exit System, or EES, a biometric border system for non-EU travelers including UK citizens.
The update matters for people heading to two of the most popular Schengen destinations because the European Entry-Exit System requires fingerprints and facial scans when non-EU travelers enter the Schengen Area. British travelers were advised to allow extra time at borders, particularly at airports, as the system moved from phased introduction to full operation.
Phased rollout of the European Entry-Exit System began in October 2025. As of April 10, 2026, it is fully operational across all 29 Schengen countries, putting Spain and France within a border network that now records biometric data for arriving non-EU visitors.
That shift has driven much of the recent attention around travel warnings, even though the Foreign office has not issued a fresh country-specific alert for either Spain or France. Media coverage has framed the EES launch as a set of “urgent warnings” for UK tourists, with expected delays linked to the initial biometric checks now required at Schengen borders.
For travelers, the practical effect is time. The government guidance for both countries emphasizes allowing extra time at airports, especially for UK citizens, because the new checks can lengthen border processing.
Spain’s advice includes a separate transport problem that predates Friday’s border changes. High-speed rail disruptions have continued since a January 18, 2026, collision near Adamuz, Córdoba, affecting connections between Madrid and Andalusia.
Services between Madrid and Andalusia resumed except to Malaga and Algeciras. Rail operator Renfe has been providing replacement train-bus services on the affected routes.
Travelers heading south through Spain have been advised to check with operators, allow extra time and follow local advice. Those transiting onward were also told to check guidance for France or Gibraltar where relevant.
Alongside transport disruption, Spain’s security advice remains unchanged. The warning says attacks are likely and indiscriminate, including in tourist areas, and travelers should stay aware and follow local media.
No broader change to Spain’s overall safety or security rating has been reported. Standard risks remain in place, including terrorism and unrest, while the U.S. Level 2 advisory for Spain is unchanged.
France’s current position is narrower. Its latest update mirrors Spain’s on the European Entry-Exit System, but no additional warnings or transport disruptions were noted.
That leaves France, like Spain, without any new overall downgrade or “do not travel” designation. The present message is less about a new country risk than about the way travelers enter.
For many passengers, that distinction may not be obvious. Headlines about a travel warning can suggest a deterioration in safety, but the latest Foreign office changes for Spain and France focused on border processing under the European Entry-Exit System rather than any newly identified danger in either country.
The system itself marks a change in how non-EU arrivals are handled at Schengen frontiers. Under the European Entry-Exit System, border authorities collect fingerprints and facial scans from travelers such as UK citizens entering the Schengen Area, which includes both Spain and France.
Because the system is now live across all 29 Schengen countries, the advice for one destination can spill into another. A traveler flying into France and continuing to Spain, or vice versa, can face the same border-processing issue at the point of entry even if the onward journey is inside the Schengen Area.
Officials have therefore centered their guidance on preparation rather than alarm. Travelers were told to expect longer waits, build in more time for border formalities and keep checking official advice before departure and during trips.
The attention on Spain has been sharper in part because the country’s advice combines the EES update with the unresolved rail disruption in Andalusia. Anyone using high-speed rail after arriving may face a second layer of delay beyond the new biometric entry checks.
The January 18, 2026, collision near Adamuz, Córdoba, continues to shape that picture. Although services between Madrid and Andalusia resumed, Malaga and Algeciras remained outside the restored network, and replacement train-bus services have been filling the gap.
For holidaymakers, that means the journey may now involve separate pinch points: the first at the border under the European Entry-Exit System, the second on domestic transport in southern Spain. The advice for both is similar: leave extra time and monitor current conditions.
France does not carry that additional disruption notice. Its current advisory contains the same EES-related entry information but no comparable rail or broader travel interruption.
The absence of fresh warnings for France also means there has been no reported change in its standard safety posture. As with Spain, there is no “do not travel” designation in the current advice.
Another point in the guidance is what has not yet started. ETIAS, the separate pre-travel authorization planned for visa-exempt nationals, is not yet required.
That matters because the European Entry-Exit System and ETIAS are often discussed together, even though they are not the same measure. Friday’s change concerns biometric border checks already in force, while ETIAS is expected to launch no earlier than late 2026.
The distinction could affect planning for travelers who assume a new online permit now applies. At present, the change for UK visitors going to Spain and France is the border check itself, not a new pre-travel authorization requirement.
The Foreign office advice therefore combines a straightforward message with a narrower legal change. Travelers do not face a new ban or a new country-specific travel warning for Spain or France, but they do face a new entry process under the European Entry-Exit System and, in Spain, an ongoing transport disruption in part of the rail network.
Security advice for Spain remains part of the picture. The warning that attacks are likely and indiscriminate, including in tourist areas, continues unchanged, with travelers told to stay aware and follow local media.
That language is not new, but it remains relevant because Spain is a high-volume destination for foreign visitors. The advice also sits alongside the unchanged U.S. Level 2 advisory, reinforcing that the current posture is one of caution rather than escalation.
For France, the current advisory is more limited and more procedural. No extra warning or disruption accompanied the February 18, 2026, update beyond the addition of EES information to entry requirements.
Taken together, the latest guidance for the two countries shows how border policy can drive travel alerts even when wider safety advice stays stable. The most immediate effect for UK travelers is likely to be slower processing at entry points as biometric checks become routine across the Schengen Area.
People traveling in the coming days will need to separate three issues that have been blurred in some coverage: the full launch of the European Entry-Exit System on April 10, 2026, the continuing rail disruption in part of Spain after the January 18, 2026, collision near Adamuz, Córdoba, and the fact that ETIAS still does not apply.
The Foreign office message is not that Spain or France have suddenly become off-limits. It is that travelers should expect a different border experience, leave more time for journeys and keep watching official travel advice as the new system beds in.
