Everything Brits need to know about new EU border rules | World | News
British tourists have been warned of four-hour queues across EU countries that have adopted the new passport control system. The Entry/Exit System (EES) will mean that non-EU citizens will need to record their biometric details such as fingerprints and photographs, rather than manually stamping passports. Only Cyprus and Ireland will continue to stamp passports.
While it will be gradually rolled out across Europe over the next six months, travelers have been advised to arrive early and expect longer queues at the airport. Anyone who is not an EU citizen and travels for up to 90 days in a 180-day period will be required to comply with the EES. Children under 12 will not be required to provide fingerprints, but their faces will need to be scanned.
The data collected is the information listed on your travel documents, the date and location of each entry and exit, facial image and fingerprints, and whether you have been denied entry.
It will be used by countries to identify who is not allowed to enter, to identify those using false IDs, and to help prevent and investigate serious crimes.
Travelers will need to register their information at specially constructed booths on their first visit to affected countries. Nothing needs to be done before arrival. EES registration is free and valid for three years before it needs to be renewed.
Those who go to countries in the Schengen area during these three years will be required to present fingerprints or photographs at the border upon entry and exit.
