EU’s biometric checks: What non-EU citizens need to know

LONDON: How all non-European Union (EU) citizens, including British visitors, travel to and from the bloc will start to change from Sunday when its long-delayed new biometric entry-check system starts operations.

- 

The Entry/Exit System (EES) will require all non-EU citizens to register their personal details, including fingerprints and facial images, when they first enter the Schengen area — all EU nations apart from Ireland and Cyprus, plus Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and Liechtenstein.

Data collection will be gradually introduced at border crossings with full implementation by April 10, 2026, giving the EU confidence there will not be long queues at the border.

Why the changes?

The new electronic system will remove the requirement to manually stamp passports at the EU's external border and instead create digital records that link a travel document to a person's identity using biometrics.