Digital EES aims to speed-up the process of crossing European borders.
For many travellers it was a reminder of a particularly momentous occasion, a trip-of-a-lifetime that the passport stamp affirmed, but from November this year there will be no more physical marking of your passport when the new entry/exit system (EES) scheme is up and running.
The traditional method of registering an arrival in a country will soon become a thing of the past in many EU member states, with the European Commission confirming plans for the introduction of the automated EES to digitally register non-EU visitors each time they cross into or out of the EU.
The plans have faced several delays over the past couple of years, but the European Commission confirmed it should be in operation by November; travellers will self-scan their passports at a kiosk, with their biometric details confirming the passport and person match.
“EES will replace the current system of manual stamping of passports, which is time-consuming, does not provide reliable data on border crossings and does not allow a systematic detection of overstayers," according to a statement issued by the European Commission’s department for migration and home affairs.
