Travelers arriving in any of the 29 countries in the Schengen zone will be scanned by the face and their fingerprints in the framework of the new entry – exit system.

The European Union is preparing to remove stamps on passports and adopt a new digital border management system.

The new biometric input – exit system

Australians and citizens of other countries outside the EU traveling to Europe since Sunday, October 12, may encounter the new Biometric Input – Exit (EES) biometric system and, although this may cause delays at first, will eventually offer a simplified process.

Non -European citizens traveling to the Schengen zone – 29 countries, including 25 EU, as well as Switzerland, Norway, Liechtenstein and Iceland will enter using the new system.

Ireland and Cyprus will continue the manual processing of incoming passengers’ passports. The United Kingdom does not belong to the Schengen zone.

Instead of using seals, Schengen zone countries will record faces, fingerprints and entry and exit dates of travelers.

“The EES will gradually replace the stamps on the passports with a digital system that records the entrance and exit of travelers, accelerating border controls and helping staff work more effectively,” the official EU website said.

In addition, it aims to prevent illegal immigration and provide greater access to travelers’ information to border authorities, which, according to countries, will reduce the risks of security.

When will it be applied

Implementation of the system begins this weekend, but the changes will be gradual, with the EES expected to be fully operational until April 10, 2026.

All those who do not have EU passport and travel to the Schengen countries for a short time will use the EES, which is free.

According to the Travel Europe, short -term stay is set up to 90 days in any 180 days. This period is calculated as a single period for all European countries using EES.

If travelers use the self -service system available at their destination or a mobile application, if the country in which they travel offers such an application, border crossing will be faster.

What should travelers do

Once they arrive, travelers will have to answer the questions of the Schengen border code, which will create a file with their details. This file is maintained for three years, so only fingerprints or photos will be used to reassess during this time.

The Australian government’s Smartraveler website warns that the system’s implementation may cause delays at the beginning: “The registration process will only take a few minutes, but when the system is operational, you may face more queues at the border.”