Australians travelling to Europe could face longer queues at the border amid a new registration system for non-EU nationals.
From October 12, non-EU nationals who enter a European zone of 29 countries, known as the Schengen Zone, will have to register as part of a new digital border management system.
How is this likely to impact you?
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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.
The non-EU countries part of Schengen are 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.
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What is changing and what is the EES?
The European Union announces the creation of a new Entry/Exit System (EES) that will be rolled out later this year.
It requires non-EU citizens travelling for a short stay (90 days or less) to register with an 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 not holding the nationality of any European Union country or the nationality of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland.
Why is it changing?
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.
Which countries are involved?
Every country in the Schengen Zone will utilise 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.
What will Aussies need to do when travelling to these countries?
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.
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Will these changes come into effect straight away?
No, the changes will be rolled out gradually, beginning in October this year.
Specifically, the EES system will first be used on October 12, with countries slowly rolling it out at their external borders.
It will be in full operation by April 10, 2026.
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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