From October, travelers entering and leaving the EU will have to give their fingerprints and allow the digitization of their faces.
The stamps in passports will be replaced by biometric controls For people who enter and leave the EU from October 12, the authorities confirmed.
The input/output system (EES) will replace current paper controls and will require the passengers of the UK to have your digital impressions and digitized faces to cross a border of the EU.
The system will be implemented in all member countries over six months, which means it will not be fully implemented until April 10, 2026.
The entry into force was scheduled for last November, but suffered technological delays.
With the new system, citizens from outside the EU, including UK citizens, will have to record their biometric data along with passport data to enter an EU country.
Anyone who refuses to provide biometric data will have the entrance to the EU denied.
Currently, travelers need to present their passport to a border agent to be checked and stamped.
The data will be collected at the starting point – Whether at an airport, port or railway station – where there will be booths dedicated to digitizing fingerprints and photos.
This record will be valid for three years And it means that on later trips, border agents will only have to check the person’s biometrics, which the EU expects it to take less time. People with electronic passports will also be able to use electronic gates.
Registration in EES is free.
For most tourists, digital records will be kept only for three years and one day – but those that exceed the 90 -day limit without visa will have their data preserved for five years.
The system aims to reinforce security at the borders, but has raised worries with long lines. The United Kingdom government warned the travelers to “be prepared to Wait during the Tip Hours”When the program begins, as the checks will take several minutes to complete.
However, the EU has stated that once implemented, EES will reduce the waiting time on the border, allowing faster checks and allowing passengers to provide their information in advance.
Since the UK left the EU, the airports of many popular European tourist destinations have faced long lines of British travelers, as their passports have to be checked and stamped.
There was also Long lines in the Eurotunneland the new system has generated concerns that waiting time for people traveling from and to France by car would only be exacerbated by the new system.
Passengers will receive portable devices to register in their cars, while French border controls were implemented on British soil at the port of Dover, the Eurotunnel Folkestone end and the Euurostar St. Pancras terminal.
