A sizable portion of adult UK citizens are ignorant of the EU’s impending Entry/Exit System (EES), which is scheduled to go into effect in October.

Nearly two-thirds of UK individuals know very little or nothing about the European go Insurance Scheme (EES), and more than one in five are afraid to go to Europe as a result, according to research by Co-op Insurance. Travelers from the UK entering EU nations will be required to provide fingerprints and facial scans under this system.

In place of the Border Force’s previous manual passport stamping procedure, the EU/Schengen Area countries and non-member states now have a “digital border” established by the EES. On their initial trip under the EES, tourists will first be subjected to fingerprinting and face picture capture; on subsequent travels, processing will proceed more quickly. Three years will pass before data is deleted.

Fears about border delays and privacy issues have emerged, with over half of respondents feeling uneasy about the keeping of personal data and nearly two-fifths concerned about possible delays. Travelers should be made aware of these developments, says Co-op Insurance’s Head of Travel, Graham Ward-Lush.

Additional complexities occur due to the unavailability of a planned app that would have made border crossing easier for British holidaymakers, particularly those traveling via Eurostar. This could lead to manual station inspections, which could result in long lines at ports and terminals. However, the EU is still determined to hold the scheduled October launch of the EES.