Starting April 10, a new border control system in the Schengen Area, known as the Entry/Exit System (EES), will begin full operation. According to Tengri Travel, with a link to TravelPulse, this innovation will replace traditional passport stamps and change the procedure for border control.
The main change involves the transition to biometric registration. Now travelers will undergo the following procedures upon entry and exit:
* fingerprint scanning;
* facial photography.
The collected data will be stored in a digital system and used for future trips. Thus, Europe is moving away from paper stamps in passports. It is clarified that "biometric data will replace the stamps that many travelers used to collect."
If a traveler has already visited Schengen countries, the control process will become faster.
"If a person has used the EES more than once, their photo and/or fingerprints will already be in the system," the official clarifications state.
In this case, border guards will simply verify the data without the need for re-registration.
However, in some cases, data may need to be collected again, for example, if the system cannot correctly recognize them.
Additionally, holders of biometric passports will be able to go through control via automatic terminals (if available at the crossing point). At the same time, travelers should be prepared for potential queues.
