The EU’s new biometric passport checks system is about to be launched at two of Italy’s busiest airports subsequent month – step one in a nationwide rollout on account of be accomplished by April 2026.
The EU’s long-delayed Entry and Exit System (EES) will begin working at Rome Fiumicino Airport and Milan Malpensa Airport on October twelfth, in response to Italian media.
The new digital border management scheme, which includes taking fingerprints and facial scans from non-EU travellers, is designed to steadily exchange the present system of handbook passport stamps.
READ ALSO: Travel to Italy: Your questions answered about EES and ETIAS
Each EU member state is required to have at the least one level of entry working EES checks from October twelfth, with the system on account of be phased in over the course of six months.
In Italy, Fiumicino and Malpensa – the nation’s two largest airports when it comes to passenger visitors – are set to be the primary to roll it out.
Non-EU travellers have been warned to anticipate some delays as the brand new system is launched over the approaching months.
How will the system work in Italy?
Under the brand new system, travellers from outdoors the EU/Schengen Area – together with the UK, US and Canada – might want to register extra knowledge, together with their fingerprints and facial scans.
There are various exemptions, together with for international nationals dwelling in Italy. You can discover a full listing right here.
READ ALSO: What ought to residents in Italy do as soon as EES passport checks begin?
Passenger knowledge shall be saved for 3 years, throughout which period travellers shall be exempt from registering once more.
Advertisement
EES will solely be used on the Schengen Area’s exterior borders – so that you received’t encounter it for journey between Italy and France, for instance, however you’ll when you fly into Italy from the US.
As of late September, neither Rome Fiumicino nor Milan Malpensa had launched official details about how the checks will work in apply.
According to Italian information reviews, passengers arriving on the airport will place their passports on an digital reader that may seize their knowledge, together with their fingerprints and facial scan.
Those with older passports not containing a biometric chip will proceed to make use of the prevailing handbook system for now, reviews mentioned.
The EU has developed an app, Travel to Europe, to permit passengers to pre-register their knowledge and keep away from delays at checkpoints when the EES system is first launched.
As of late September, nonetheless, the app hadn’t been made out there for obtain.
Advertisement
What is EES?
The Entry and Exit System is an EU-wide database designed to register the entry and exit of non-EU nationals visiting the Schengen Area for brief stays.
It will mechanically file every entry and exit, monitoring how lengthy travellers spend within the Schengen Area to make sure they don’t exceed the 90-day rule.
READ ALSO: EXPLAINED: What occurs when you overstay your 90-day restrict in Italy?
The acknowledged goals of the scheme are twofold: to extend border safety and clamp down on visa overstayers by way of stricter controls, and to make passport checks faster and extra environment friendly.
The EES was initially presupposed to launch final November, however was postponed on the final minute on account of border infrastructure delays in a number of member states.
With the beginning date now confirmed for October twelfth, EU nations shall be required to implement the system in any respect border checkpoints by April tenth, 2026.
