The Entry/Exit System applies to all travelers from third countries, i.e. non-citizens of the European Union, who enter the Schengen area for “short stays”, regardless of whether they require a visa or not.
O the GNR, PSP, in conjunction with the Government of the Republic, announced this Friday, in a joint statement, the date on which the new European border control system will come into force, “in all countries in the Schengen area: October 12th.
It is called the “Entry/Exit System (EES)” and applies “to all travelers from third countries (non-European Union citizens) who enter the Schengen area for short stays – up to a limit of 90 days, in a period of 180 consecutive days – regardless of whether they need a visa or not”.
“This new system represents an advance in security, efficiency of border control and automated management of entries and exits in the Schengen area”, highlights the statement.
What changes
- as Entries and exits of travelers from third countries are now recorded electronically (date, time and border post);
- the manual stamp on passports is replaced to make “the entire control process safer”;
- when first entry, four fingerprints and a photograph are collected – measure applicable only from December;
- o system automatically identifies those who exceed the legal period of stay in the Schengen area;
- a Information is shared in real time with the authorities of Schengen countries, through a centralized and interoperable system with other European security databases (such as the Schengen Information System (SIS II) and the Visa Information System (VIS).
Who coordinates
Here, the implementation of the Entry/Exit System is coordinated by the SSI, in conjunction with the National Republican Guard (GNR), Public Security Police (PSP), National Civil Aviation Authority (ANAC), Port Administrations and ANA Aeroportos.
“With the EES, Portugal and the European Union now have a digital, secure and interoperable system, which allows false documents, irregular entries and other security threats to be detected more quickly, which puts the country at the forefront of intelligent border management, reinforcing the protection of external borders as well as cooperation and automatic sharing of data between Member States”, highlights the statement.
The entities involved guarantee that the Entry/Exit system ensures strict compliance with “European and national standards for the protection of personal data, guaranteeing confidentiality and information security”.
