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Australians heading to Europe might encounter extended wait times at border crossings due to the implementation of a new registration process for travelers from outside the EU starting today.
Visitors who are not EU nationals entering the 29-country Schengen Zone will now need to undergo a registration process that includes capturing their fingerprints and photograph as part of a newly introduced digital border management initiative.
Here’s a comprehensive overview of what you need to know about this system.
The rollout of this system commenced gradually on October 12.
This requirement applies to non-EU travelers planning short visits of 90 days or less, who must register through this internal system.
The system will collect passport data, travel documents and other personal data, which will be stored electronically.
For the purposes of the EES, ‘non-EU national’ means a traveller who does not hold the nationality of any European Union country or the nationality of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland.
What is the Schengen Zone?
The Schengen Zone is made up of 29 countries – most of which are located in the EU – that allow travellers to move freely between other Schengen countries without going through border controls or getting a visa for each country.
Every country in the Schengen Zone will have to follow the EES system.
The countries are listed below:
EU Member States in the Schengen Area: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Romania.
Non-EU Countries in the Schengen Area: Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland.
Notably, the United Kingdom, which left the EU in 2020, is not part of the Schengen Area, meaning all people entering the country must go through border control.
Australia is not a Schengen country.
According to the EU, the EES will make travelling in the Schengen Zone more efficient, as it will replace passport stamps with a modern digital system recording the entry and exit of travellers.
They also say it will prevent irregular migration and use biometric data to stop those with fake identities or who are overstaying in the Schengen Zone.
The EES will also give border and law enforcement more access to traveller information, which they claim will help find security risks in the fight against terrorism and other crime.
The International Air Transport Association, which represents hundreds of global airlines, said it was concerned about the new system.
“There is a complete disconnect that EES is working well, and the reality, which is that non-EU travellers are experiencing massive delays and inconvenience,” the association said in a statement.
“We need to be realistic about what will happen during the peak summer months, when traffic at Europe’s airports doubles.”
What will Aussies need to do when travelling to Europe?
Aussies will have to provide their personal data including their passport, and also scan their fingerprints and get a photo of their face taken.
The process can be made quicker if they use a self-service system if available at their location, or they can use a mobile app if it’s made available by their country of arrival or departure.
A smartraveller government alert said: “You’ll need to register at borders and have your fingerprint and photo taken. There may be longer border queues”.
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