Aussie travellers have been warned to expect delays when they arrive at the European border with a new registration system in effect for non-European Union nationals.
A new digital EU entry/exit system (EES) registers all non-EU nationals travelling in or out of the Schengen area, consisting of 29 countries across the continent.
A progressive rollout of the new system began in October last year before it was implemented across all 29 countries.
Visitors entering the area for the first time since the system was introduced will be required to have their fingerprints and photo taken, and answer border questions to create a digital record that registers biometric details.
Travellers that return to the area within three years only need to provide their fingerprint or photograph when they re-enter or exit the boarder removing the need for passport stamps, but will still need a valid passport when they enter the area.
“The registration process should only take a few minutes, but when the system starts, you may experience longer border queues,” the Smartraveller website warns.
The new system will allow travellers to move freely between 29 Schengen countries removing the need for a visa for each country and going through border controls.
Schengen countries include Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.
But visitors have been warned if they stay longer than permitted they could find themselves detained, removed, fined or prevented from returning to the EU in the future.
Visas may be required if visitors plan on staying longer than 90 days out of every 180 days or travel is for anything outside of holidays, business, events, medical treatment or transit.
Smartraveller advised some countries require travellers to register three days before they arrive.
A European Union Commission spokesman said from April 10, the EES replaced passport stamps allowing the automatic detection of overstayers.
“The EES contributes to the prevention of irregular migration and helps protect the security of everyone living in or travelling to Europe,” a spokesman said.
“The system also enables more efficient identification of overstayers as well as of those who attempt to cross the borders using fake or forged documents.”
International Air Transport Association (IATA) warned the new system continued to cause significant delays for passengers with queues expected to reach four hours or more during peak summer months.
IATA Senior Vice President External Affairs Thomas Reynaert said there was a complete disconnect between the perception of the EU institutions that EES was working well, and the reality.
“Which is that non-EU travellers are experiencing massive delays and inconvenience,” he said.
“This must come to an end immediately.
“We need to be realistic about what will happen during the peak summer months, when traffic at Europe’s airports doubles. “The rollout of EES must be flexible to react to operational realities. This is an absolute prerequisite for its success – and for safeguarding the reputation of the EU as an efficient, welcoming, and desirable destination.”
