Biometric checks to visit EU to get phased rollout' from October

"Biometric registration to visit the EU may not be fully enforced for another nine months, with border officials allowed to relax the rules to alleviate queues or chaos at ports after the system finally goes live. In just over two weeks, Eurotunnel, Eurostar and the Port of Dover will all open new biometric registration kiosks in the UK, installed at a cost of tens of millions of pounds."

"According to Eurostar and Eurotunnel, there will also be an additional 90 days' grace period during which the entry-exit system [EES] can be scaled back, under the direction of French border authorities, in case of operational failures. The much-delayed new system requires all non-EU citizens to be fingerprinted and photographed before entering the EU, with their identifying features and information held on a central European database for three years. The biometrics must be collected at the border under the supervision of immigration officers."

"Passengers flying to the EU will have the new checks on landing at EU airports. The potential for large queues and delays on arrival has caused concern within the EU but EES has particular issues for the Channel crossing, where passengers travelling via the tunnel or sea pass through French border checks in the UK. That means the EES biometric process must be completed before departure, with any hold-ups on the British side occurring before passengers can reach their train or ferry."

Biometric entry-exit checks for non-EU visitors to the EU will be introduced in a phased manner, with partial effect from 12 October and full enforcement delayed until 12 April 2026. Border officials will be permitted to relax enforcement to ease queues or chaos at ports, and an additional 90-day grace period allows scaling back under French border authority direction in case of failures. The system requires fingerprinting and photographing of all non-EU citizens, storing identifying data on a central European database for three years. Biometrics must be collected under immigration officer supervision. Channel crossings require completion before departure. Major operators have invested in kiosks and infrastructure.

Read at www.theguardian.com