People could soon be required to share their fingerprints when travelling to Europe. New border rules are expected to come into force in October.
UK passport holders could have less than eight months until they may have to give data such as their fingerprints when travelling to and from Europe.
Travellers returning from Europe will soon no longer have their passports stamped, as the process moves to becoming digitised. This was supposed to be implemented in November 2023, but the date has been pushed back.
Since Brexit, UK tourists have needed stamps whenever they’ve entered or exited the Schengen Area, which prove holidaymakers and passengers haven’t stayed outside their visa requirements. But the security checkpoint process will become digital from later this year.
Reportedly due to come into force on October 6, an automated entry and exit system (EES) will digitally register non-EU visitors.
European Commission’s department for Migration and Home Affairs previously said: “EES will replace the current system of manual stamping of passports, which is time consuming, does not provide reliable data on border crossings and does not allow a systematic detection of overstayers.”
In a statement about the digitisation of the application process, visa facilitation organisation VFS Global said, “We are fully aware that the EU plans to digitise the visa application process, and as an external service provider to virtually all EU and Schengen governments, VFS Global looks forward to work with these governments to support them on their transformation journey.”
Each time a person crosses an EU external border, the system will register their name, type of travel document, biometric data (fingerprints and facial images) and the date and place of entry and exit. It will also record refusals of entry.
The 27 Schengen countries include Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.
It was originally due to launch in 2022, but was delayed until May 2023 and again until November. French authorities reportedly then asked if it could be pushed back until after the Paris Olympics, which take place this summer.
Travellers with visa-free access to the Schengen Area will be required to obtain travel authorisation online through the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS).
