What are the New Travel Rules in 2025?

By Helene Segura, M.A. Ed., CPO® | March 13, 2025 |

If you plan to travel anywhere in 2025, you’ll want to stay updated on the latest new travel rules.

REAL ID

Starting May 7, 2025, your state driver’s license or identification card will need to be REAL ID-compliant if you wish to travel domestically by air and/or enter certain government facilities. If your ID has a gold star in one of the corners, you most likely already have one. For complete details, see this information from the Department of Homeland Security.

 

Traveler Compensation

In the past, if your flight was cancelled or delayed, you could file a claim through your travel insurance policy and hope to get refunded or at least partially compensated. With the new Department of Transportation rules that went into effect, airlines must automatically refund you if situations meet specific criteria. You can view complete details here.

 

UK Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA)

Starting on January 8, 2025, Americans are required to apply for entry to the UK. It’s like a visa, but it’s not called a visa. You, of course, must pay for it. For more information, check the UK’s ETA website. The Points Guy has additional explanations.

 

European Travel and Information System (ETIAS)

ETIAS has experienced multiple false starts over the past several years, but apparently 2025 is the year for it to start. Like the UK’s ETA, this non-visa visa-like documentation requires an application and pre-purchase before arrival into the European Union. Rumor has it this will begin in May. Oh wait. I just checked again, and it’s been delayed until 2026. Just in case it actually does start, you should check the details on this ETIAS website a few weeks before you depart. Just in case.

 

European Union Entry/Exit System (EES)

This is similar to ETIAS in that non-EU systems will be tracked. Until it’s operational, I’m not worried about how EES is different from ETIAS. EES is supposed to start in October 2025. We’ll see. In the meantime, here are details.

 

Global Entry Abroad

We’ve been using Global Entry for almost a decade now. We automatically get TSA Pre-Check with every plane ticket and can skip the lines at American airports when re-entering the country by heading straight to the special Global Entry kiosks. This year you can anow apply to certain reciprocal countries that will give you the same expedited screening when entering overseas. For details about which countries and where to apply, read this update from The Points Guy or find complete details about the Global Entry program at the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol website.

 

Happy Travels!

 

 

 

For more tips on how to experience fewer issues before, during and after travel, take a peek at The Great Escape: A Vacation Planner for Busy People Who Want to Take a Real Break from Work & Life.

You deserve at least a few days off!

About Helene Segura, M.A. Ed., CPO®

As The Inefficiency Assassin™, Time Management Fixer Helene Segura empowers professionals on the go with the tools to slay lost time. Personal inefficiency at work leads to increased stress levels, lower morale, higher absenteeism, more turnover – and rising spending on employee health care and hiring. Why not improve productivity, decrease stress levels, and increase profits instead?The author of four books – two of which were Amazon best-sellers – Helene Segura has been the featured organization expert in more than 200 media interviews. She has coached hundreds of clients to productivity success and performance improvement by applying neuroscience and behavioral modification techniques to wipe out destructive, time-wasting habits.Helene turns time management on its head by sharing both client case studies and pop culture examples to teach her mind-bending framework for decreasing interruptions, distractions and procrastination so that companies can spend more time generating revenue.

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