Travellers will face a two-tier system for visiting the continent under new EU rules which will add extra burdens for people entering the bloc as a one-off but make entry quicker for frequent flyers.
The new entry/exit system (EES) was officially launched on Sunday and will be gradually rolled out across the EU’s ports and airports over the next six months.
The rules state that most travellers who are not an EU citizen or resident must register their biometric data, including a scan of their face and fingerprints, when they enter the Schengen zone – which includes most EU member states but not Ireland, and a handful of non-EU members.
Airports have had to build new infrastructure to carry out these checks, as have the Dover and Folkestone ferry terminals and St Pancras station in London, where Eurostar trains depart for Paris and Brussels.
There are fears that the need for registration will cause delays and queues for British tourists and business visitors, either when they arrive on the continent or when they leave from one of the British ports which conducts border checks on behalf of the EU.
But Pedro Serrano, the EU’s ambassador to the UK, insisted on Monday that the system would benefit British citizens as well as Europeans.
He told reporters: “Ultimately, it is going to bring greater protection to our borders in order to fight organised crime, to fight terrorism, to also control possibilities of irregular migration or illegal entries into the EU. Having a more secure EU space is going to be of benefit for the partners of the European Union.”
Once a traveller has registered, they do not need to sign up again for three years unless their passport expires in the meantime. At most airports, they should be able to use digital e-gates and will not need to get their documents stamped by a border official.
Details of how the scheme will be implemented are down to each individual country and could differ between entry points. It is likely that in some places British travellers will be directed into two separate queues, depending on whether or not they have already registered for EES on a previous trip, The i Paper understands.
Serrano suggested that for those who make a repeat visit to the EU, the new system will provide a more seamless experience – saying: “Once you are registered, the next time you enter you don’t have to provide your data – they’re there, they’re just controlled. And this will also allow travellers to enter more easily into the EU, also dispensing with passport stamping, which has been the rule up to now.”
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The ambassador added: “Once you are registered, hopefully where there are e-gates, the travellers coming from the UK will be able to transit through those e-gates. So again, travel, once your biometrics have been given, is actually easier.”
Sir Keir Starmer claimed earlier this year that he had secured an agreement from the EU to allow British travellers through e-gates at all airports, rather than waiting in a queue much longer than that for EU citizens.
But in fact the rules are implemented by each member state meaning that there is no blanket arrangement applying to all visitors.
The new system will be phased in over six months, meaning different ports may have varying requirements until April 2026.
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