The European Union Say goodbye to sealing passports to digitize the management of your borders. Starting next October 12, citizens of countries not belonging to the community club who travel to Europa must undergo a facial scan and their fingerprints to be able to enter.
Here’s how it will work:
Who is affected?
The new European border system (EES) will automate the registration of non-EU travelers by collecting their biometric dataa controversial control measure with which Brussels aims to streamline the entry and exit process of the UEbut also stop the irregular immigration and, a priori, reduce the risks for the security. Those affected will be all those planning a short stay, up to 90 days within any 180-day period. Children under 12 years of age will have a photographbut not his fingerprints.
How will it be applied?
Travelers who are subject to the EES will have to be scanned and answer questions from border agents, a process that could initially cause delays. All of this will serve to create a personalized data record that will be stored for three years and will allow contactless verification of the identity of visitors. During this period, they will only have to show their face and fingerprints at checkpoints to enter and leave the EU. In addition, they will be able to use a self-service system or a mobile application to streamline your registration, all for free.
In which countries?
The system, approved by the European Parliament In 2017, it will be gradually deployed at border controls at international airports, ports, railway stations and road border crossings in a total of 29 countries of the so-called Schengen area. A total of 25, including Spainare part of the European bloc, and the other four are Switzerland, Norway, Liechtenstein and Iceland. Instead of marking the passports of passengers who want to enter their territory, security agents customs They must scan their faces and fingers—unique biological data for each person—as well as write down the dates of entry and exit. Croatia and Estonia will be the first to apply it, while the change will not affect Ireland and Cyprus for now, which will maintain manual management.
The Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, inaugurates the new EU “smart border” between Melilla and Morocco, known as the Entry/Exit System (EES). / Europa Press
When?
Biometric border control will begin to be applied from Sunday, but its integration will not be all at once, but progressive. Those responsible for EES hope that the new system will be fully operational on April 10, 2026. However, the EES will be the precursor to the European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS), a new model that will begin to be deployed at the end of 2026, which will force visitors to request an authorization to travel to the EU and which will cost 20 euros.
Can you refuse?
No, if what you want is to travel. The EU makes it clear: “If you refuse to provide your biometric data, you will be denied entry to the territory of European countries that use the EES.”
Who is exempt?
The program has certain exemptions. In addition to EU citizens, travelers with an EU card or permit will also not have to undergo biometric scanning. residence o o targeted long-term, those traveling to Europe “in the framework of a transfer within a company or for the purposes of research, studies, training or volunteering”, citizens of AndorraMonaco, San Marino and Vatican City and people with privileges such as heads of state or accredited diplomats.
Why is it controversial?
The deployment of technological biometric control systems at borders worries both experts in privacy as in human rightswhich warn of the risk that centralizing the management of individual data as sensitive as biometrics may entail. In an opinion issued in 2024, the European Data Protection Committee recommended that airlines use a “less intrusive” method than biometric identification of passengers, warning that this technology “can lead to false negatives, biases and discrimination“. The EU Agency for Fundamental Rights has identified a series of risks and has produced two guides to ensure that “effective measures” are implemented, including the data protection“provide accurate and accessible information” to those affected and “treat them with dignity and respect.”
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