The EU’s new system of automated border checks comes into force on Sunday, leading to the risk of increased delays for travellers.
The Entry/Exit System (EES) requires non-EU citizens to register at the EU border, with registration valid for a rolling three-year period or until the passport expires. The EU’s biggest countries, including France and Germany, will carry out only a handful of checks in a bid to avoid long queues at airports.
Some smaller member states will have the system fully in place from Sunday and border officials will be able to suspend checks for short periods if processing times become excessively long.
Every member state will have until mid-April to use automated checks for all passengers at their borders. If travellers refuse to provide biometric data, they will be refused entry.
France's Interior Ministry acknowledged the system will be a "major challenge" for one of the world's most popular tourist destinations.
UK authorities are warning those heading to Europe that while the checks should only take a couple of minutes for each person, they may lead to longer wait times at border control on arrival in the Schengen area.
Julia Lo Bue-Said, chief executive of the Advantage Travel Partnership, warned travellers to give themselves extra time. She said that, where bottlenecks already exist, for example when several flights arrive at once, it will become more of an issue.
“So our advice is actually to make sure, where possible, you’re leaving yourself between three and four hours from the point of entry,” she said.
Under the new system, first time travellers going to the EU they will need to register at a special machine. They look a bit like the e-gates at airports, with biometric scanners built in. The machine then scans the passport and the machine will take fingerprints and a photo.
Travellers will also need to answer four short questions about their trip, such as where they are staying and whether they have a return flight booked.
France said that border officers may ask for proof of medical travel insurance when travellers arrive, particularly once the new system is in full use.
Those going through Eurotunnel will be asked the questions by border officers instead of the machine.
On departure, travellers’ details will be checked against the EES database to confirm compliance with existing rules on time limits of stay and register departure. Manual stamps on passports will eventually be phased out.
The same requirements will apply in Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, members of the European Economic Area including the EU and Switzerland. But they will not apply in Cyprus and Ireland, the only two EU members outside the Schengen area.
The big test will be holiday traffic at Easter 2026 and the following summer when many families travel for the first time after EES' introduction.
Checks will be carried out for passengers from Britain before they cross the border, especially at London's St Pancras station, the port of Dover and the Eurotunnel terminal at Folkstone.
Terminals have already been installed and Eurostar has spent £11 million ($14.6 million) overhauling its border facilities at St Pancras, building 49 kiosks.
"EES will contribute to prevent irregular migration and help protect the security of everyone living in or travelling to Europe," it said.
Countries will use data for several reasons, including to identify travellers banned from entering the EU, finding those using fake identities, and helping to prevent crime. Each member state is able decide where and how they want to implement the system.
The only requirements are that at 30 days in, countries must be registering 10 per cent of travellers and by 90 days, they should be registering 35 per cent of travellers, rising to 50 per cent at 150 days. By April 9, countries must be registering all travellers in the system.
The next phase in the EU's border overhaul will be the launch of an electronic travel authorisation document, known by its acronym ETIAS, like the United States' ESTA or its British equivalent.
Before travelling to the EU, citizens of visa-exempt countries will have to complete an online form and pay a small fee, which still under discussion.
