New fingerprint checks at borders for non EU citizens

by Mick the Ram

Non-EU nationals, including British citizens, will be subject to new sophisticated checks at all English Channel border crossing points, which will require fingerprints and face recognition.

Preparations are under way to install an automated European Union (EU) Entry Exit System (EES), which is hoped will improve security, as well as eventually cutting down on queuing.

However, initially the registration process will have to be undertaken in person at the departing port or train station, and consequently, there are expected to be long queues and bottlenecks as people try to understand the necessities and input their credentials.

Tens of millions of pounds are being spent on equipment in designated processing areas at Dover’s ferry port, Eurostar’s London St Pancras terminus and Euro-Tunnel’s Folkestone site.

Under the system travellers will have to register their own information the first time they cross the border after its introduction. Within this they will be required to have their fingerprints and photograph taken, as well as answering a set of questions regarding their specific journeys.

The aim is to remove the need for passport stamping and greatly improve the ability at borders to prevent irregular migration, helping to identify cases of document and identity fraud.

The system had been set to commence back in 2022, but was then pushed back 12 months, before a decision was taken to delay until after the Paris Olympics, which begin at the end of next month.

The EES travel system is now expected to launch on October 6 this year, but it should not be confused with the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS), which is being introduced in 2025, as a visa waiver system and will apply to all UK travellers.

Reservations over likely delays

Since the UK left the EU in January 2021, there have been numerous rumours about changes in how Britons would be able to travel in and out of EU countries. With that in mind this move is hardly a surprise.

Nevertheless, for all the positives put forward for EES there have also been many concerned voices, including UK Foreign Secretary, David Cameron, regarding the length of delays the new system might create.

Possible leeway given during transition

The EU has been developing an app to enable the obligatory EES registration to be started from home, but it is not expected to be ready for the system’s October roll-out.

Recognising potential problems, it is expected that for a six-month transition period, the EU is likely to allow the checks to be reduced in certain circumstances when unmanageable queues build up.

Up to 2 minutes per person extra time estimated at port

At Dover’s ferry port, where queues are already an issue, there are plans to process coaches separately to cars, directing them to the western docks of the facility, away from the main check-in areas. Coach halls will also be built with new kiosks to register details.

Car travellers will be met by an agent, who will take details from each individual. It is being estimated that for each person registering an additional 90 seconds to two minutes will be necessary. The port also intends to create more holding space by September 2027.

Additional kiosks being installed at train station

The Implementation process at London St Pancras will mean big changes for Eurostar passengers. The number of border control points in the existing departures area will be doubled, with 49 kiosks being installed in a separate area, currently occupied by a coffee shop close to the station’s main entrance, which will have to make way.

Two other zones will include an overflow room on the mezzanine level. Travellers will be advised to turn up at least two hours before their train’s departure time.

More staff being taken on

Euro-Tunnel, which operates freight and vehicle shuttles though the Channel Tunnel, are taking on up to 70 new staff, who will be based on either side of the water.

Tens of millions of pounds are being spent building processing zones, where people will queue to use automatic machines from their vehicles. Additional lanes will be created, so it is hoped there will not be a build up.

EU promotes the positives

The description put out by the EU indicates that the automated system is for the use by short stay travellers each time they cross the external borders of European countries.

The fingerprint scans and photographs will be stored for three years, so that individuals can be verified on any future trips around the EU.

They say that the EES system is replacing manual security processes which are “time-consuming” and do not provide reliable data on border crossings. They also do not allow a systematic detection of travellers who have exceeded the maximum duration of their authorised stay.

It will be in place at 25 of the 27 EU member states, as well as Norway, Iceland, Switzerland and Lichtenstein, as they are members of the bloc’s Schengen free-travel zone.

ETIAS following close behind

For UK travellers, having negotiated the EES system, there will also soon be an extra requirement to enter the EU’s Schengen Area. Anybody aged between 18 and 70 will have to pay a £6 fee (€7 or $7.50), from spring of 2025.

This is to comply with a new visa system being introduced called the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS). It will be required for trips of up to 90 days (anyone wishing to stay longer will need another visa entirely) and will be necessary for both tourists and business travellers, with a responsibility for it to be obtained at least 96 hours before departure. It will remain  valid for three years.

Schengen restrictions

Passport-holders from other nations will also need this electronic travel authorisation; indeed there are 57 eligible countries, including the likes of Australia, Brazil, and Japan.

From the point of its introduction, ETIAS will become a mandatory entry requirement when visiting the Schengen zone.

The name Schengen comes from the town in southeastern Luxembourg where France, Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands signed the original Schengen Agreement in 1985. There are no internal borders between Schengen member countries.