EU preps biometric checks for foreign visitors
Travelers residing outside of the European Union will soon be required to have their fingerprints and faces scanned in order to enter 29 European countries, officials said Wednesday.
Beginning on October 12 a new program known as the Entry/Exit System (EES) will be launched, requiring biometric data instead of paper checks of passports in order to cross the border to enter any of 29 countries in the so-called Schengen Area.
The zone includes most EU countries along with some non-EU member states like Norway, Iceland and Switzerland. The biometric checks will apply to U.K. citizens.
The biometric data will be stored for three years and a day for most tourists, but data belonging to those who overstay their visas will be stored for five years.
The system was initially slated to take effect last November but was delayed by technical hiccups.
EES will be rolled out in waves and will not be in effect in every country in the Schengen Area until April 2026.
Those who decline to provide their biometric data will not be allowed to enter the bloc.
Suzanne Smalley
is a reporter covering privacy, disinformation and cybersecurity policy for The Record. She was previously a cybersecurity reporter at CyberScoop and Reuters. Earlier in her career Suzanne covered the Boston Police Department for the Boston Globe and two presidential campaign cycles for Newsweek. She lives in Washington with her husband and three children.