UPCOMING new EU rules mean passengers from outside the bloc will have to pass through the automated Entry and Exit System.
The new system, known as EES, will end the stamping of passports for non-EU travellers.
The Entry/Exit System (EES) is planned to come into force in autumn 2024 and Brits need to be aware of the changes.
The biometric EES checks have been created to record the details of all third-country nationals entering and leaving the European Union, although non-EU residents living in the EU or Schengen countries and those travelling on visas are exempt.
For anyone arriving by aeroplane, as well as flight and baggage information, the checks will contain biometric information such as fingerprints, facial photographs, and passport details from the RFID chips included in the document.
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It has largely been designed to provide a better picture of those travellers overstaying the Schengen area’s 90-day rule.
But it also expected to help in combating terrorist activity and organised crime as it can flag individuals with criminal or terrorist convictions and alert the authorities.
The current use of a rubber stamp in your passport will be replaced by an automatic scan.
Only the EU countries Ireland and Cyprus won’t apply the EES but their citizens will be exempt.
Switzerland and Norway are among the 29 countries who will be part of the EES system.
Airline passengers already have to provide a certain amount of information before they fly, which is known as Advanced Passenger Information (API) – this includes things like name, date of birth and passport number.
Airlines are responsible to ensure ineligible passengers cannot board the plane, such as those who do not have a valid passport.
If they break those rules they can receive a hefty fine.
Under EES it seems the information needed for the API will become more detailed and could include your residency status and reason for travel.
Airlines will be required to get verification from the EES system before they allow each passenger to board.
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EES checks will only apply when you cross an external Schengen border.
So anyone flying from the UK to Germany – or the return trip – will need to undergo the checks.
However, if you take an internal flight within the area whilst in Germany, say, flying from Germany to Spain, you don’t need to undergo the checks.
An EU app is currently being trialled at Stockholm airport that will allow for EES registration.
However the biometric data - fingerprints and facial scans - must be provided in person in the presence of a border guard, so will have to be done on arrival.
Any traveller will have to pass through checks at the airport before crossing the border into their country of destination.
This will be done via electronic gates known a “e-gates”.
The first time a traveller enters an EU country after the EES is established, they will have to be fingerprinted, have their photograph taken, and have their passport details read.
Under the supervision of border guards at kiosks in the airport arrival area, passengers will scan their documents and share biometric information as well as answer any necessary questions.
It’s estimated the process will take between 90 second and two minutes per person.
Once travellers have had their fingerprints and photographs taken, they will be valid for three years, and the full process will not need to be repeated.
However, if a traveller receives a new passport during that time, they will need to have new fingerprints and photographs taken.
While the EU has said the new systems shouldn’t create significant delays at airports, other bodies have expressed concerns about the prospect of long queues building up.
The travel association ABTA has warned passengers could face delays of several minutes at kiosks.
Concerns have also been raised that the attempts to communicate what the new system will mean has not reached the general public, with a study in April revealing that two-thirds of adults in the UK were not aware of the EES system.
There is also concern about the system for people who are exempt from EES registration - such as people who have a residence permit or long-stay visa for an EU country.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has said these groups will have to indicate on their Advance Passenger Information that they are exempt, and then have their visa or residency card checked at the boarding gate, which could add significant time to boarding.
Airlines have also indicated that the complexity and time for the boarding process could spell the end of last-minute flights.
Airlines will need to verify before departure the travel eligibility of passengers by sending verification queries to the EES system.
This will respond whether they are "OK" or "NOT OK" for boarding.
Airlines will be responsible if they allow non-compliant passengers on board.
The alarm has been raised by IATA about the reliability of the system, as well as the time needed to get advance verification.
The deadline - which has been reported as being up to 48 hours before take-off “is too long” and “will preclude late ticket sales,” according to a document filed by Ryanair Holdings plc, the parent company of Ryanair, Buzz, Lauda and Malta Air, to the UK’s House of Commons European Scrutiny Committee.
