bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

sponsorType

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Agence France-Presse

From Sunday, non-EU travellers entering Europe’s Schengen open-borders zone will be photographed and fingerprinted at border crossings, as the European Union rolls out its much delayed automated border checks.
The aim of the new system is to eventually replace the manual stamp on passports and secure better information sharing between the bloc’s 27 states.
The border-check system will allow authorities to know when people enter and exit a country, with the goal of better detecting anyone overstaying and those refused entry.
Hotly debated for nearly a decade, the system has raised concerns among transport providers and passengers, who fear it could lead to longer queues at airports and train stations.
To limit disruptions, there will be a phased roll-out. The first phase begins on Sunday.
Non-EU nationals arriving for short stays in EU countries - except Cyprus and Ireland - will be asked for their passport number, to provide fingerprints and have their photo taken at automated kiosks.
The same requirements will apply in Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway - members of the European Economic Area, which also includes the EU - and Switzerland.
The bloc’s biggest countries, including France and Germany, will initially carry out only limited checks in a bid to avoid huge queues at airports.

Some smaller member states have the system fully in place from Sunday.
The member states will have until mid-April to use automated checks for all passengers at their borders.
All eyes will be on the UK border as British nationals – no longer EU citizens after Brexit -will also be subject to the new checks.
UK authorities have already warned Britons that each passenger will have to wait a few extra minutes before they can enter Schengen territory.
The Channel Tunnel’s operator Getlink and train service Eurostar had expressed confidence they were ready and that the system would run smoothly.
Checks were being carried out for passengers in Britain before they crossed the border, especially at London’s St Pancras station and the port of Dover. Terminals had already been installed.
The EU executive has said there will be information campaigns to streamline the implementation of the Entry/Exit System (EES).

“EES will contribute to prevent irregular migration and help protect the security of everyone living in or travelling to Europe,” it said.
The next phase in the EU’s border overhaul will be the launch of an electronic travel authorisation document, known by its acronym ETIAS, similar to the United States’ ESTA or its British equivalent.
Under ETIAS, citizens of visa-exempt countries travelling to the EU would have to complete an online form and pay a small fee. The amount is still under discussion.


India-EU trade pact nears finish line despite carbon tax dispute, Russia ties

Lithuania declares national emergency over balloons from Belarus

European firms need to abandon overreliance on China and US, chamber report warns

Trump blasts ‘decaying’ and ‘weak’ Europe, pushes Ukraine to hold elections

European Union

Europe begins automated border checks, with photographs and fingerprints

Motorists wait to enter Croatia on Sunday at a border crossing between Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, as a new system begins that requires all non-EU citizens to register their personal details when they first enter the Schengen area. Photo: AP

A man gives a demonstration in Madrid on Thursday as Spanish police present the Entry/Exit System (EES) that will require all non-EU citizens to register their personal details, including fingerprints and facial images, when they first enter the Schengen area. Photo: Reuters

Germany and some other nations will initially carry out only limited checks in a bid to avoid huge queues at airports. File photo: AFP

Why young Japanese are ditching passports and overseas travel

Mount Fuji pictured in the background as people walk along a bridge connecting stores at a popular shopping centre in the city of Gotemba, Shizuoka prefecture, some 100km southwest of Tokyo. Photo: AFP

People wait to check in at the departure hall of Haneda Airport in Tokyo. A recent study has placed Japan well behind several developed economies in terms of international travel readiness. Photo: AFP

Tourists take selfies at Bukchon Hanok Village in Seoul, South Korea. Travel analysts say short-haul destinations such as South Korea and Taiwan will remain popular with Japanese travellers. Photo: Reuters

Foreigners in Bali told to carry passports at all times amid crackdown on visa violations

Screenshots from a video posted by Bali’s immigration office showing officers stopping tourists and asking to see their passports and stay permits. Photo: Instagram / imngurahrai

Tourists browsing at a shopping area in Seminyak, Bali, on August 1. Photo: EPA

Romania and Bulgaria join Europe’s Schengen travel zone

A Bulgarian woman celebrates at a check point at the Giurgiu-Ruse border point between Romania and Bulgaria. Photo: AFP

Romanian and Bulgarian police officers shake hands at a check point. Phot: AFP

A car passes Romanian-Hungarian customs point in Nadlac, as Romania and Bulgaria both join the Schengen bloc. Photo: Inquam Photos via Reuters

Here are 5 ways to enter China without a visa, by land, sea or air

A police officer helps an American tourist fill out an entry registration card at an airport in Beijing. China’s visa-free entry policies have sparked a surge in overseas tourism over the past two years. Photo: Xinhua

A police officer answers questions about visa-free entry permits for foreign visitors at an airport in Beijing. China’s visa-free entry policies have sparked a surge in overseas tourism over the past two years. Photo: Xinhua

News

World

Europe

The delayed system, for non-EU visitors, will allow the bloc to share information and better detect those refused entry or those who overstay


The delayed system, for non-EU visitors, will allow the bloc to share information and better detect those refused entry or those who overstay.


European travel

Britain

Europe begins automated border checks, with photographs and fingerprints

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}The delayed system, for non-EU visitors, will allow the bloc to share information and better detect those refused entry or those who overstay

The delayed system, for non-EU visitors, will allow the bloc to share information and better detect those refused entry or those who overstay