EU’s Entry/Exit System Goes Live: France Braces for First-Day Queues
Egypt and France Deepen Partnership on Legal Migration Pathways
France postpones biometric checks at Channel crossings days before EES go-live
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EU confirms switch to fully-digital Schengen visa; France points to Olympic trial success
The European Commission has officially green-lit the digital Schengen visa. France, which tested the system during the 2024 Olympics, will be among the first to roll it out, citing reduced fraud risk and faster processing. For business-travellers the move means no more passport drop-offs and real-time application tracking—although a first biometric appointment is still required. Full adoption across the EU will be phased in between 2026 and 2028.
EU Entry/Exit System enters final phase—but French airports and ferries seek grace period
EES becomes law across the EU on 10 April, replacing passport stamps with biometric records. France is still ironing out technical issues, meaning a mix of manual and digital checks will apply for several weeks. Travel managers should budget extra border time and make sure employee-tracking tools are ready for automatic 90/180-day calculations.
French cabinet fast-tracks ordinances to align national law with EU Migration & Asylum Pact
The Council of Ministers has cleared a bill allowing the Government to issue ordinances that transpose the EU’s 2024 Migration & Asylum Pact into French law. Three staggered ordinances will ensure metropolitan France and overseas territories are compliant before the pact enters force on 12 June 2026, paving the way for new border-screening rules and updated residence-permit procedures.