New regulations coming into effect on November 10th are causing fears of delays for travelers. Here are the countries affected and what will change for trains and planes.
To enable better monitoring of foreign travelers entering European soil and to combat irregular migration, a new system will be put in place in the Schengen area from November 10, 2024. This is the Entry/Exit System (EES) which will record the movements of non-European nationals.
The goal: to identify people whose length of stay has been exceeded, to limit the risks of false identity, in particular by using biometric data, which will put an end to the traditional stamp on passports. Travelers will now have to scan their passport and face on a terminal that will record all data (dates of entry and exit from the territory, biometric data, first and last name). Note that facial scans and fingerprints will be taken every three years.
But then, in which countries will the Entry/Exit system be deployed? The ESS will be installed at the entrance to all EU Member States, except for Cyprus and Ireland, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland, which are not part of it. The system will be found at border crossing points in the United Kingdom, in particular for the Eurostar, ferries and the Shuttle, but also at international airports in Schengen area member countries.
The project was originally scheduled for 2022, but due to IT issues and late installations, the launch had to be postponed. And this summer, no tests could be carried out due to the Paris 2024 Olympics, which has caused transport operators and port and airport managers to fear significant delays for travellers.
So, due to long queues, there may be some disruption, particularly to ferries between Dover and Calais. Airports may need to allow extra time to check that these new steps have been implemented.