British nationals travelling to and from European Union countries from May 2022 and on will no longer have their passports stamped, as the information on the date of their entry to the block, or the exit, will be recorded through a new automated system.
EU’s Entry/Exit System (EES) is set to become fully functional in May next year, though it has been reported that the EES may experience some delays.
The system will register entry and exit data and refusal of entry data of third-country nationals crossing EU’s external borders, including here Britons, which means that passport stamping will become unnecessary.
“EES will replace the current system of manual stamping of passports, which is time-consuming, does not provide reliable data on border crossings and does not allow a systematic detection of over-stayers (travellers who have exceeded the maximum duration of their authorised stay),” the European Commission’s Migration and Home Affairs notes.
In spite of the EU’s claims that the new system will enable travellers to cross the borders more quickly, in a meeting of the UK Lords Committee on November 2, UK travel bosses have expressed their concerns that the new EU border systems may, in fact, create long queues, in particular at ferry ports and the Channel Tunnel.
The head of the Dover Harbour Board, Tim Reardon, said that travellers would have to step out of their vehicles in order to complete the controls, and this would make the queues even longer.
“There is no way of doing a biometric control without getting everyone out of the vehicle,” Reardon said.
Just after the EES becomes operational, Brits will also have to obtain online a travel authorisation in order to be able to travel to the Schengen Area, known as the European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS).
The ETIAS will cost €7 and will be valid for a period of three years at first, or until the traveller’s passport expires, whichever comes first. Aside from Brits, all travellers from countries under the Schengen visa-free regime are obliged to obtain an ETIAS before they travel to Schengen Zone.
This means that around 1.4 billion people who currently are permitted to travel to the EU visa-free will have to apply for an ETIAS.
In spite of speculations that the EES and the ETIAS may be delayed, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency – Frontex has finalised the EES pilot project at the Spanish and Bulgarian land borders.
At the same time, the eu-LISA, which is the EU Agency for the Operational Management of Large-Scale IT Systems in the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice, has announced open registrations for air and sea carriers, as well as international carriers transporting groups overland by coach for the EES and the ETIAS.
Registration will enable carriers to receive the necessary information to prepare for the implementation of the EES and ETIAS legislation.
First published on: www.schengenvisainfo.com/
