International travel
Going on holiday anytime soon? Many countries will take your fingerprints at the border and you'll be denied entry if you refuse.
Check this list if you're considering going anywhere. This is only for visa-free travel - if you require a visa, you will almost certainly need to get your fingerprints taken regardless of the country's status on this list.
Please contribute to this list if you have recent experience travelling visa-free to a country on a foreign passport and/or can find reliable sources.
| Country | Fingerprints all visitors? |
|---|---|
| 🇺🇸 United States | Yes, has been taking the fingerprints of everyone entering on a non-American passport since 2004. |
| 🇪🇺 European Union (Schengen area - excludes Ireland) |
Yes, has been taking the fingerprints of everyone entering on a non-EU passport since 2025. If you're thinking about getting an EU passport to avoid this, note that most EU/Schengen passports have to contain your fingerprints. See European Union for more info. |
| 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | Does not take fingerprints for normal visa-free entry. |
| 🇮🇪 Ireland | Does not take fingerprints for normal visa-free entry. |
| 🇯🇵 Japan | Everyone I've asked who has visited Japan has had their fingerprints taken. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J-BIS |
| 🇨🇳 China | ❓ Supposedly paused for visa-free visitors until December 2026. But probably not somewhere to visit if you care strongly about avoiding biometrics. https://visasnews.com/en/visa-for-china-fingerprint-exemption-extended-until-december-31-2026/ |
| 🇹🇷 Turkey | I know know people who have travelled to Turkey recently (Summer 2026) on British and EU passports, and fingerprints were not taken. Few reliable news sources, but they are apparently planning to start taking fingerprints at some point. |
| 🇮🇳 India | "New Indian visa rules require British tourists to provide fingerprints" Hard to find reliable sources but it seems likely that you will have to have your fingerprints scanned to enter the country. Note that [almost all https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visa_policy_of_India nationalities are required to obtain an e-Visa]. |