From October 12, those who travel from the United Kingdom to Portugal, or to any other Schengen space, will find new rules at the borders. The British government published on Monday an official notice on its Gov.uk portal, alerting citizens to entry into force of Entry Exit System (EES), a new European registration and departure registration system for travelers from third countries.
EES replaces the traditional stamp in the passport, electronically registering each entrance and exit in the Schengen space. According to the warning, the system will be progressively introduced into airports, sea ports and land borders, including the Portuguese.
Biometric registration on arrival
According to GOV.UK, all travelers from the UK can be invited to provide biometric data, namely fingerprints and facial photography, right upon arrival, through kiosks or own posts installed at the borders. The process will be free and will not require any action before the trip.
Also according to the same source, at the time of departure from the Schengen space, the authorities may again request the collection of biometric data to confirm the output movement.
Children under 12 will be exempt from fingerprint collection, although they may have to be photographed to complete the registration.
Possible queues and delays in the borders
The British government warns that the new procedure could slightly increase the time of passage through borders, especially during the first months of operation of the system. It is therefore recommended that travelers have superior waits than usual.
EES application will be done by phases and will not start simultaneously at all input points. According to the same warning, some locations may take up to six months to fully adopt the new process. During this transition period, passports will continue to be manually stamped, even for those who have already made the biometric registration.
SAFETY STRENGTHENING AND STAY CONTROL
The new system aims to reinforce safety at the European Union’s external borders and automate the control of travelers’ entrances and exits, ensuring compliance with the 90 -day stay within 180 days in the Schengen Space.
As referred to by, Aviaso points out that the EES aims to make the process border faster and more reliable, reducing the dependence on manual control. However, it admits that in the first months there may be some impact on waiting times until the system is fully stabilized.
According to the same source, Entry Exit System will begin to be applied from October 12, with gradual implementation in all Member States of the Schengen Space, including Portugal.
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