The European Union announced, on Wednesday, July 30, that a delayed new border-check system for non-EU nationals, which will do away with passport stamps, will finally launch in October. The so-called Entry/Exit System (EES), was initially supposed to kick in last November, but was pushed back at the last minute as several countries were not ready. The EES will record visitors' entry and exit dates and keep track of overstays and refused entries. Travellers will have details and biometric data – facial images and fingerprints – collected.
"This will strengthen security (...) by helping us identify overstayers, prevent irregular movements, and reduce document and identity fraud," said Magnus Brunner, the EU commissioner for migration.
The automated system, which was first agreed to in 2017, will be used in the EU's 27 countries, except for Ireland and Cyprus. Norway, Iceland, Switzerland and Liechtenstein, which are not EU members but are part of the Schengen free movement area, will also apply it.
In March, member states agreed on a phased rollout, which the European Commission said, on Wednesday, would begin on October 12. Under the phased rollout, member states should ramp up toward implementing the system at half of their border crossing points after three months and have it fully deployed by six months.
The commission said that travellers "can expect information campaigns" at airports and other border crossings across the EU in the months leading up to the launch. "With a six-month rollout, member states, travellers, and businesses will have the time to adjust to the new system," Brunner said.
The system's introduction has raised fears of longer queues and waiting times for people travelling to Europe on trains, ferries and planes. "EES may take each passenger a few extra minutes to complete so be prepared to wait longer than usual at the border once the system starts," Britain's Foreign Office said in a travel update.