(CMR) Visitors from the UK traveling to and from EU countries can expect to be fingerprinted as of November 2023. This will happen as the EU moves from stamping passports to becoming digitized.
With Brexit, the UK joins non-EU visitors from countries such as the United States and Canada who must register with the automated entry and exit system (EES).
European Commission’s department for Migration and Home Affairs 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.”
It was originally due to launch in 2022 but was delayed until May 2023 and again until November.
Visa facilitation organization VFS Global said, “We are fully aware that the EU plans to digitize 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.”
The system will register the traveler's 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.
According to Travel Noire, trials of the system have already started in Europe’s Schengen Area. Prague has begun registering passengers into ‘easy kiosks.’ These kiosks require tourists to answer a short questionnaire, give their fingerprints, and have their pictures taken and logged into the system.
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