Austria United With Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark And Finland Start Collecting Fingerprints From Today With New European Entry/exit System, New Travel Update You Need To Know

Published on October 12, 2025

Starting today, Austria agreed pinch Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark and Finland person begun collecting fingerprints arsenic portion of nan caller European Entry/Exit System. This is simply a important update for each travelers entering these countries. The EES intends to amended information and streamline nan recreation process by utilizing biometric data, including fingerprints and facial recognition. With this change, travelers will now supply these biometrics astatine border checkpoints, which will beryllium digitally linked to their passports. The strategy is designed to make recreation much efficient, offering faster processing times astatine borders.

This displacement is portion of a larger scheme to fully instrumentality nan EES by April 2026. Whether you’re heading for a picnic aliases a business trip, this update is thing each traveler to these countries should know. It’s an important measurement towards modernizing Europe’s separator controls.

What is nan Entry/Exit System (EES)?

The Entry/Exit System (EES) is an automated strategy designed to way travelers from extracurricular nan European Union (EU) entering and leaving nan Schengen Area. The strategy chiefly applies to non-EU nationals walking to participating European countries for up to 90 days wrong immoderate 180-day period. It will beryllium utilized to stitchery information from travelers to simplify nan introduction and exit process.

Starting successful October 2025, travelers will beryllium required to supply biometric data, specified arsenic a facial image and fingerprints, astatine automated kiosks aliases separator power booths erstwhile entering aliases leaving nan participating countries. This information will beryllium stored successful a integer grounds linked to nan traveler’s passport. Over time, this will thief facilitate smoother recreation wrong these countries and trim waiting times astatine separator controls.

The afloat implementation of nan EES will beryllium completed by April 10, 2026, aft which nan process will go wholly digitized for each applicable travelers.

Who Is Affected by nan Changes?

The EES will beryllium applied to non-EU nationals visiting participating countries for short stays. This includes tourists, business travelers, and those visiting family members. Citizens of nan UK, arsenic good arsenic different non-EU nationals, will beryllium among those required to supply biometric information erstwhile entering aliases exiting immoderate of nan participating countries.

The European Union has confirmed that travelers from nan pursuing countries will beryllium taxable to nan EES rules:

• Austria
• Belgium
• Bulgaria
• Croatia
• Czechia
• Denmark
• Estonia
• Finland
• France
• Germany
• Greece
• Hungary
• Iceland
• Italy
• Latvia
• Liechtenstein
• Lithuania
• Luxembourg
• Malta
• Netherlands
• Norway
• Poland
• Portugal
• Romania
• Slovakia
• Slovenia
• Spain
• Sweden
• Switzerland

The process will not beryllium afloat digitized from time one. For nan first fewer months, travelers will still spell done nan accepted passport stamping process alongside nan biometric registration required by nan EES.

The Role of Biometric Data Collection

A cardinal characteristic of nan EES is nan postulation of biometric data. Upon presence aliases departure from nan Schengen Area, travelers will beryllium required to supply biometric information astatine automated kiosks aliases separator power booths. This includes facial nickname and fingerprints, which will beryllium linked to a traveler’s passport specifications successful a integer database.

Once nan information is recorded, it will beryllium stored and utilized to way nan introduction and exit movements of travelers wrong nan Schengen Area. The strategy intends to simplify early separator checks and amended information by quickly verifying identities and recreation patterns. As nan strategy develops, separator power unit will beryllium capable to much efficiently process travelers without manual passport checks.

Security and Data Protection: How Will Your Data Be Handled?

Privacy and information protection are apical priorities successful nan implementation of nan EES. According to EU regulations, nan information collected will beryllium taxable to strict information protection laws, including nan General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). This intends travelers person nan correct to entree their data, petition corrections, aliases petition that their information beryllium deleted nether definite circumstances.

Despite these protections, immoderate constricted information whitethorn beryllium shared pinch world organizations aliases non-EU countries successful cases of ineligible necessity, specified arsenic for information purposes. Travelers should beryllium alert that while nan strategy is designed pinch privateness successful mind, their biometric information will beryllium stored digitally and could beryllium shared successful accordance pinch ineligible requirements.

Who Is Exempt from EES?

While nan caller EES strategy applies to astir non-EU nationals, location are definite exemptions. The pursuing individuals do not request to registry pinch nan EES:

1. Nationals of European countries that are portion of nan EES system, specified arsenic Cyprus and Ireland.
2. Non-EU nationals holding a residence paper and are instantly related to an EU national.
3. Non-EU nationals pinch a residence paper aliases licence who are instantly related to a non-EU nationalist pinch EU-like recreation privileges.
4. Non-EU nationals walking to Europe arsenic portion of an intra-corporate transportation for nan intent of research, studies, training, pupil exchange, voluntary services, acquisition projects, aliases au-pairing.
5. Travelers holding a residence licence aliases long-stay visa.
6. Nationals of Andorra, Monaco, and San Marino, and passport holders from nan Vatican City State aliases Holy See.
7. Diplomats aliases individuals pinch typical privileges, including heads of authorities aliases individuals exempted from separator checks nether definite conditions.

Will This Change Affect UK Tourists?

Yes, UK visitors will beryllium affected by nan caller system, arsenic they are now considered non-EU nationals pursuing Brexit. The preamble of nan EES will require UK visitors to supply biometric information erstwhile entering aliases leaving European countries utilizing nan system. This whitethorn summation nan clip spent astatine borders initially, though erstwhile nan strategy is afloat implemented, nan process should go quicker and much efficient.

UK visitors should besides beryllium alert that these changes use not only to travelers entering for leisure but besides to those visiting for business aliases family purposes. The caller regulations correspond a important alteration for anyone readying short trips to nan Schengen Area.

Key Benefits and Challenges of nan EES

Benefits

The superior benefits of nan EES are improved separator information and streamlined travel. With biometric information linked to passports, separator power will beryllium capable to place travelers much quickly and efficiently, reducing hold times. The strategy besides helps forestall personality fraud, making it harder for individuals to usage fraudulent documents.

Challenges

However, nan strategy presents immoderate challenges. The rollout of nan EES whitethorn origin delays arsenic travelers set to nan caller biometric registration process. Some travelers whitethorn besides beryllium concerned astir really their individual information will beryllium stored and protected. Additionally, countries extracurricular nan Schengen Area are not instantly taxable to these rules, meaning travelers entering via onshore borders aliases airports successful non-EU states whitethorn not yet acquisition these changes.

Conclusion: What Does This Mean for Travelers?

The implementation of nan EES marks a awesome displacement successful really European countries negociate separator information and traveler data. While nan strategy promises improved information and efficiency, it besides raises concerns astir information privateness and nan imaginable for longer processing times successful nan early stages of nan rollout. Travelers, particularly from nan UK, will request to familiarize themselves pinch nan caller biometric requirements, which whitethorn impact their recreation acquisition successful nan coming months. As nan strategy evolves, nan EES has nan imaginable to importantly streamline recreation wrong Europe, but travelers must stay alert of their authorities nether EU information protection laws to guarantee their individual information is handled responsibly.

Source: Manchester Evening News