European Union Delays Digital Entry System, A Reprieve For Passport Stamps
If you were lamenting the end of passport stamps in the European Union Schengen Area, as I was, we have been granted a reprieve thanks to issues with “border computer systems” in at least three nations.
Passport Stamps Will Continue Into 2025 After European Union Digital Entry System Delay
An elaborate system, years in the making, that would have replaced passport stamps with biometric facial scans and fingerprinting for non-EU citizens has been delayed…indefinitely.
Set to launch on November 10, 2024, the so-called Entry/Exit System (EES) would have centralized immigration across EU member states in a bid to reduce overstays. The current system is disjointed, creating an opening for folks to enter through one country and exit through another with no repercussions for overstaying their visa.
That delay came after Germany, France, and the Netherlands (which represent a combined 40% of incoming traffic into the EU) said that “necessary stability and functionality of the EES central system to be provided by the EU agency EU-Lisa is not yet in place.”
(EU-Lisa is a public agency that implements large-scale IT systems within the EU)
The new EES system ties in with a new European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) system that is similar to the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) in the United States, essentially providing advance registration for visa-waiver countries. The cost for that e-visa is set to start at €7 and has also been delayed.
I recently arrived in Germany via Stuttgart and saw all the new machines ready to go. Most machines have been placed at major ports of entry, but getting them to work and communicate with one another is a whole different matter.
Rather than flipping the switch at once, the EU is now reportedly considering a phased-in approach that could see that passport stamps linger on for years in certain nations.
Hopefully, the delay will be as long as Real ID delays here in the USA…I love passport stamps and how no registration or other paperwork is necessary before flying into the European Union for US and UK citizens for most types of visits. I’m not looking forward to being fingerprinted every time I enter the EU.