EU borders chaos for travellers

MILLIONS of British travellers face border delays across Europe when a new EU entry system is introduced this autumn, experts warned yesterday.

- Richard Ashmore

Britons with even the most trivial offences, including motoring convictions such as speeding, will face questioning and delays because they are never wiped from records.

Stringent automated checks, which will delve into a person’s past, could lead to long waits and even refusal of entry over wrongdoing that could be decades old and minor.

Europe will introduce an electronic Entry/Exit System (EES) in October, with a new linked visa (ETIAS), similar to that used in the US and Canada, coming next year.

Experts say millions of Britons could be stopped because of the unique way this country keeps records of very lowfly offences.

In England and Wales when a person commits any offence a record is kept for 100 years from that person’s date of birth. No distinction is made between keeping a record of minor or serious violations.

It is estimated around 15 million people in the UK have a criminal record, with the vast majority logged for a lesser transgression.

Disruption

Even those who have no criminal record could be caught up in the chaos as others are questioned and delayed.

Many EU countries automatically wipe records for minor offences after as little as three years and some do not even keep data on file, preferring to simply issue fines.

Last night travel agents and holiday firms warned the changes could hit travellers hard.