Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government which Schengen Area countries currently allow British citizens to use e-Gates; which additional countries are expected to do so before the introduction of the Entry/Exit System (EES) later this year; and whether passport stamping will still be required in all cases for British citizens before the full implementation of the EES.

We have secured confirmation that there will be no legal barriers to eGates use for UK nationals travelling to and from EU Member States after the introduction of the EU's Entry/Exit System (EES). But the Prime Minister has been clear that there should be no reason why European countries cannot go further and faster on this now. We are now working with individual Member States to make that happen as soon as possible. Until EES is fully implemented all third-country passports will still require a stamp on entry/exit to the Schengen Area. But where eGates are used, the process is likely to be swifter and more straightforward as, in most circumstances, border guards will not need to carry out further passport checks. UK nationals' access to eGates in the Schengen Area is a decision for each individual country.