EU’s new digital Border Checks for non-EU travellers, including Indians launched

On Sunday, travellers heading to Europe, including Indian citizens, will be subject to new biometric border checks as the European Union begins the phased rollout of its Entry/Exit System (EES). The new digital border regime is designed to modernise EU border security and track movements of non-EU nationals entering the Schengen Area.The EES will require non-EU travellers to register at the border by scanning their passport, providing fingerprints, and having a facial photograph taken. These checks will replace the traditional practice of manually stamping passports and will apply to entries into Schengen countries such as France, Germany, Italy, Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein, and Switzerland. Ireland and Cyprus are exempt from the scheme.The system will also affect those departing the UK through key travel points such as the Port of Dover, Eurotunnel at Folkestone, and Eurostar services at St Pancras International in London. Travellers will need to complete the registration at the border before leaving the UK.Also read | US visa and remittance tax policies may dent India’s remittance flows by up to $5 billion in FY26: Ind-Ra“We must do everything we can to prevent terrorists and irregular migrants from entering the Schengen Area illegally,” said Rasmus Stoklund, the EU’s Minister for Immigration and Integration, Reuters reported.“It is crucial that we maintain effective control over third-country nationals entering the Schengen Area, so that we can strengthen security at the external borders. With an EU-wide IT system, it will become easier to monitor who is crossing our borders,” he added.Travellers are not required to take any action before their journey, as registration is carried out upon arrival. While the process is free of charge, it is expected to increase the time spent at border checkpoints.“We recognise that EES checks will be a significant change for British travellers, which is why we have worked closely with our European partners to ensure the rollout goes as smoothly as possible,” said Alex Norris, the UK’s Minister for Border Security and Asylum.
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