There’s something new if you plan to travel. From this Sunday, October 12, all non-European travelers wishing to enter or leave the Schengen area will now have to submit to fingerprinting, a photo and a recording of their personal data. This new system, called EES (Entry/Exit System)marks a major transformation of European border control, with the clear objective of strengthening security and better identifying travelers exceeding the authorized 90 days of stay.
Concretely, the EES replaces the traditional stamp on passport. From now on, non-European Union nationals, whether British, American, Canadian or even Japanese tourists, will have their biometric information recorded at each entry and exit. This data will be stored in a common database for all member countries of the Schengen area (with the exception of Cyprus and Ireland), as well as Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and Liechtenstein.
How does it work?
But this modernization promises to be complex. After several consecutive postponements, notably because of the 2023 Rugby World Cup and the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, European states preferred to adopt a gradual implementation. In France as in Germany, only a few crossing points will test the system initially, in order to avoid the feared endless queues at airports and border crossings.
The device could be made on automated terminals or mobile tablets, sometimes directly from vehicles in ports. However, if a traveler refuses the collection of their biometric data, they will be refused entry into European territory.
On the side of the Border Police (PAF) agents, caution prevails. Because if large international airports can count on logistical reinforcements or private service providers, small regional airports, such as Nantes or Beauvais, risk being much more affected by administrative delays and tensions on staff. Cédric Caste, national delegate of the SGP Police Unit union, explains:
“The six months of ramping up the system will allow us to see if it is playable or not.”
The Ministry of the Interior has also anticipated possible complications: in the event of massive congestion, the authorities reserve the right to temporarily suspend biometric control to return to the old manual stamp system. It remains to be seen whether, in the coming months, the promise of efficiency will hold in the face of the reality on the ground.
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