Check that you have a clear page in your passport, as it will need to be stamped with your travel date when you're travelling to and from the EU. If you don't have a passport yet or your passport needs renewing, please allow plenty of time to apply before your trip.

As of March 2026, the tradition of manually stamping passports is being phased out due to the full implementation of the EU Entry/Exit System (EES). For most non-EU and UK citizens traveling on the Eurostar from London St. Pancras to Paris or Brussels, your entry and exit data is now captured digitally at the border. On your first trip after the system's launch, you are required to provide fingerprints and a facial scan at a dedicated EES kiosk at the station. This digital record replaces the physical ink stamp and tracks your "90 days in every 180 days" allowance automatically. However, during the "progressive rollout" in early 2026, some border officers may still apply a physical stamp as a backup, particularly if the digital kiosks are experiencing high volume. For those who enjoy the "souvenir" of a passport stamp, the era is quickly ending; the EES is designed to speed up the border process and reduce the physical wear on passport pages. Note that if you are a resident of an EU country or hold a long-stay visa, the EES rules (and the lack of a stamp) may apply differently to you.