Fingerprints and facial biometrics for Britons entering Mallorca next year

The EU’s post-Brexit Entry-Exit System (EES) was originally slated to launch in 2022. However, it has faced multiple setbacks.
First it was rescheduled for May 2023, then it was pushed back further until the end of the year and now, according to the Independent, it is going to be October next year.

The Entry/Exit System (EES) is a large-scale IT system of the European Union for the automatic monitoring of the border-crossing of third-country nationals (non-EU/EEA/Swiss citizens).

Envisioned to replace passport stamps, the system will be installed at the external border crossing points of the Schengen Area, e.g. airports and seaports.

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The task of EES is to collect data of border-crossing of third-country nationals at the external border of the EU and to abolish passport stamps. Collected data will include the name and date of birth of the traveller, as well as dates of entry and exit into/from the Schengen Area. Beside these alphanumeric data points, it is planned to store biometric data like pictures and fingerprints.

The EES will then be followed by the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) an electronic authorisation system of the European Union for visa-exempt visitors travelling to the Schengen Area (including EFTA countries), as well as Bulgaria, Cyprus, and Romania.

According to the European Commission, it is implemented “for the identification of security, irregular migration or high epidemic risks posed by visa-exempt visitors.”
It is not a visa, and it does not guarantee entry.
It is expected to become operational in Spring 2025.

ETIAS was first proposed by the European Commission in 2016 and was formally established by Regulation (EU) 2018/1240 of the European Parliament and of the European Council of 12 September 2018.
All prospective visitors will need to complete an online application and a €7 fee will be required from those between ages 18 and 70.