Everyone who holds a UK passport has been given a nine month warning. The warning concerns holidaymakers and tourists returning from Europe.
Since Brexit came into effect in January 2020, Brits have had their passport stamped whenever they've entered or exited the Schengen Area to prove they haven't stayed longer than their visa requirements.
But that will all change in November this year as anyone returning from Europe to the UK will no longer need their passport stamped, BirminghamLive reports. Instead, an automated entry and exit system (EES) will digitally register non-EU visitors.
European Commission’s department for Migration and Home Affairs said: "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."
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In a statement about the digitisation of the application process, visa facilitation organisation VFS Global said, “We are fully aware that the EU plans to digitise the visa application process, and as an external service provider to virtually all EU and Schengen governments, VFS Global looks forward to work with these governments to support them on their transformation journey.”
Each time a person crosses an EU external border, the system will register their name, type of travel document, biometric data (fingerprints and facial images) and the date and place of entry and exit. It will also record refusals of entry.
The 27 Schengen countries include Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.
It was originally due to launch in 2022, but was delayed until May 2023 and again until November. Travellers with visa-free access to the Schengen Area will be required to obtain travel authorisation online through the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS).
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