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The European Union’s Schengen area will soon implement a digital identity system for non-EU nationals that could cause long arrival and departure delays in its early stages.
From 12 October, those entering or exiting the 27-country bloc will have their photos taken and fingerprints scanned by passport control officials.
If you refuse to hand over this data, officials can deny your entry to the Schengen area, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s Smartraveller website warns.
Under the new Entry/Exit System (EES), this biometric data will be compiled alongside passport information such as your name and date of birth, date and place of entry and exit and whether you have previously been refused entry.
This personal data will be utilized to establish a digital profile linked to travelers themselves and not to their passports.
As such, if you overstay your visa, the EES will be able to identify you using your digital record, even if you use a different passport, Smartraveller warns.
The Schengen area comprises 29 European countries within which travellers can move freely without needing to go through border controls or secure individual visas. The Smartraveller website keeps an updated list of countries in the Schengen area.
The EES will only apply to the borders between non-Schengen and Schengen countries, not movement within the Schengen area.
The system will be deployed gradually, with full implementation by April 2026, according to Smartraveller.
