From today (October 12) Brits travelling to and from Portugal (and 29 other European countries) face the new European border control system for non-EU citizens, designed to strengthen security and ultimately make travel smoother.
The onus on the last part of that opening paragraph is “ultimately” – because as the system starts being rolled out, concerns are that ‘delays’ at frontier control points will become evident as visitors have to have photographs and fingerprints taken.
The advantage of the system, however will be that once biometric data has been taken, it is ‘in the system’ and does not need taking again.
From that point onwards, border controllers will get real-time information on flyers, due to their biometric data – meaning they will be able to see if they have ‘violated the 90-day rule’, for example, for freely travelling within Europe, or whether there are warrants out for the person’s arrest.
This new ‘EES’ system, which will operate at airports and ports, will replace traditional passport stamps (suggesting that in future, passports themselves will be changing). It is centralised system, interoperable with other European security databases (such as the Schengen Information System (SIS II) and the Visa Information System (VIS).
“With the EES, Portugal and the European Union now have a digital, secure, and interoperable system that allows for the faster detection of false documents, irregular entries, and other security threats”, says Portugal’s SSI/ homeland security.
“This places the country at the forefront of intelligent border management, strengthening the protection of external borders as well as cooperation and automatic data sharing between Member States.”
In Portugal, the implementation of the system is ensured by the SSI, in conjunction with the PSP, the GNR, ANA – Aeroportos de Portugal, the port authorities and the National Civil Aviation Authority.
Reports today concede that EES is not being adopted ‘instantly’ in every single airport: it is being gradually phased in. “When you first come across it will depend on where you’re flying to and when. Look out for any information from your airline” says the BBC, adding that the system should be fully active at every Schengen border crossing by April 10 2026.
Source material: LUSA/ BBC
