Long queues and scams: Will the new EU entry system cause border chaos?

26.01.2024 - 23:39 / euronews.com / Rebecca Ann Hughes / Long

Entering the European Union will get more complicated for non-EU nationals from autumn this year.

A new Entry Exit System (EES) is set to come into effect in October 2024.

This is part of the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) that will likely be implemented next year.

It will require visitors from outside the EU to apply and pay for a visa waiver before entering a country in the Schengen zone.

The systems have already been plagued by setbacks and complications, and now there are fears over lengthy queues and scam websites.

Here’s how European countries are preparing for the changes and how you might be able to avoid visa fees.

The EU’s new EES will register additional information about non-EU travellers to the bloc.

Beyond passport details, automated barriers at borders will take and store biometric data including fingerprints and facial images.

Passport stamps will be scrapped. Instead, the system will automatically register when someone enters or leaves an EU country.

This will make it easier to flag someone who has overstayed their time in the EU.

Non-EU citizens, which includes UK nationals post-Brexit, can only stay 90 days in the EU before requiring a visa.

The EES does not apply to EU citizens or to people travelling between Schengen zone countries.

The wider ETIAS will come into effect in 2025. This will require non-EU nationals to pay €7 per person to visit most European countries.

The visa permits non-EU citizens to stay in the EU and Schengen zone for 90 days. Once a traveller has had their visa approved, they do not need to apply again for three years.

Travellers will have to complete an online application before they go and pay the €7 fee if they are between 18 and 70 years old.

The visa will not be required for the Republic of Ireland as it is in the Common Travel Area.

This is a zone of open borders comprising the United Kingdom, Ireland, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islands.

Although the exact launch date is unclear, the EU has previously indicated that it will be introduced five to six months after EES. There may be an implementation period where it is gradually introduced alongside the Entry-Exit System.

Non-EU nationals who have official residency in an EU country may be exempt from the EES and ETIAS.

You need to have a biometric identity card, such as the carte de séjour in France or the carta di soggiorno in Italy.

These mean that you are also exempt from the 90-day limit.

However, no information has been released on how the automated barriers at borders would identify a traveller as an EU resident when using a non-EU passport.

EU countries are preparing to install automated barriers to carry out the EES checks.

France will install self-service kiosks at airports where