From November 2023, UK passport holders will no longer be required to have their passport stamped when leaving the EU. This marks a significant change, as following the UK’s exit from the EU, this has been a requirement.
The new procedure, called Entry/Exit System, will replace the manual passport stamping, with travellers using passport-reading machines present at external points of the Schengen Area instead. This is a step towards checkpoint digitization and is intended to measure and control how long visitors from third nations are permitted to stay in the Schengen Zone (EES).
Every traveller’s fingerprint, full name, date of birth, place of birth, nationality, face image, passport details and visa information will be recorded by this system.
What countries are included in the Schengen Area?
There are 27 European countries, which make up the Schengen Area.
These include:
- Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Croatia, Denmark,
- Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary,
- Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg,
- Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia,
- Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.
Arriving by air
For those traveling by air, the process in an airport will be:
In short, the system’s operation is:
- The traveller would approach the EES machine
- Scan the first page of their biometric passport,
- Face the camera
- Then walk through the automatic gate once the lights come on.
- The traveller will then remain steady while the device takes a picture of them and compares it to the information on their documents and EES storage.
- When the second gate opens, individuals will then be allowed to pass through it.
Everyone who has used an e-gate to pass through an airport, including Heathrow, will be familiar with the procedure.
Self-service kiosks will be installed in airports in France, Germany, and Austria so that travellers can pre-register their biometric information and personal information.
Arriving by land or sea
Visitors arriving by car at the land and sea borders, will encounter a different procedure depending on which country they are leaving. For instance, France will give travellers tablets to record their information. While Norway has chosen to use automatic camera solutions run by border staff. Italy plans to increase the number of automated gates at its major airports and install 600 additional self-service kiosks.
Before crossing the border, travellers must scan their passports at an automatic self-service kiosk.
European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS)
UK passport holders are able to travel within the Schengen Area + Bulgaria, Cyprus and Romania, visa free, but must apply for travel authorization online through the European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS). This is a visa waiver application.
Once approved for an ETIAS, UK travellers will be able to travel in the Schengen Area for up to 90 days. The fee waiver costs €7 for applicants aged between 18 – 70. Everyone else will receive theirs free of charge, but must still apply. It will be valid for three years and can be used for multiple entries under a 90 day duration.
By: Inci Avci