UPCOMING new EU rules mean passengers from outside the bloc will have to pass through the automated Entry and Exit System. The new system, known as EES, will end the stamping of passports for non-EU travellers. 6 The EES system comes in on October 6 Credit: AFP 6 Passengers will have to give biometric information and pass through e-gates Credit: AFP 6 The current use of a rubber stamp in your passport will be replaced by an automatic scan Credit: Getty It is being brought in on October 6 and Brits need to be aware of the changes.
The biometric EES checks have been created to record the details of all third-country nationals entering and leaving the European Union, although non-EU residents living in the EU or Schengen countries and those travelling on visas are exempt. For anyone arriving by aeroplane, as well as flight and baggage information, the checks will contain biometric information such as fingerprints, facial photographs, and passport details from the RFID chips included in the document. It has largely been designed to provide a better picture of those travellers overstaying the Schengen area’s 90-day rule.
But it also expected to help in combating terrorist activity and organised crime as it can flag individuals with criminal or terrorist convictions and alert the authorities. The current use of a rubber stamp in your passport will be replaced by an automatic scan. Only the EU countries Ireland and Cyprus won’t apply the EES but their citizens will be exempt.
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