10 November 2024 is the date set for the introduction of the much-delayed Entry-Exit System (EES) for the Schengen area.
At the moment, policing and enforcement of the 90 day rule is done by border officials stamping passports. From 10 November 2024, this will be done automatically by EES.
What is the new EES?
It is a computer system which will automatically check UK (and other) passports at Schengen area border entry and exit points. It will replace the manual stamping of passports – hitherto the only way to monitor and check the 90/180 rule.
How will EES work in practice?
E-gates at border entry points will register a person’s name, travel document e.g. passport, biometric data (finger prints/facial recognition) and date/place of entry/exit. Your photograph and finger prints will have to be registered and stored.
Because everybody will need to be registered for the first time, delays may result at the Schengen border to start with. To minimise and mitigate delays, the biometric element of the registration process maybe temporarily waived for some travellers at peak times. The degree of pragmatism applied, and the practical effects of a phased introduction will only be known once roll out begins.
As with all IT projects of this type, expect teething troubles at the outset, screaming headlines from the anti-EU British press, and then for the whole thing to settle down after a couple of weeks.
Is the EES the same as Etias?
No (although they are part of the same border control strategy). Etias is the European Travel Information and Authorisation System. It is the visa waiver scheme for the EU, with similarities to the ESTA visa waiver scheme in the US. Click for more information about the Etias scheme, expected to be introduced in the first half of 2025.
