Citizens of the UK face having their fingerprints checked every time they cross the border to enter the Schengen Area due to the EU’s delays in developing the app to verify biometrics digitally.
As it has been explained, all British citizens travelling by their own car or bus through the Port of Dover will have to get out of their vehicle to have their photographs and fingerprints individually taken, Schengen.News reports.
Commenting on the matter, the chief executive of the Port of Dover, Doug Bannister, said that this summer, it will be “business as usual”. The same noted that a big change in the travel rules is expected to be introduced in November, referring to the Entry/Exit System (EES).
As the Guardian explains, Bannister said that the reclaiming of 13 hectares of land in the Port of Dover has been put in place for the purposes of handling passengers who need to get out of their cars or buses to undergo the procedure.
He further emphasised that they have been informed that the app will not be ready to be rolled out before November.
We have been told that any app won’t be ready any time before November, but hopefully it could come swiftly after that.
Travellers’ Fingerprints or Images & Their Passport Numbers Will Be Verified on Every Subsequent Journey
As it has been explained, on every subsequent journey, travellers’ fingerprints or facial images along with their passport number will be verified. The aim of this procedure is to remove the current passport stamping and automatically record those entering the territory of the Schengen Area.
Second, third, and fourth time travellers still need to have a biometric captured at the border.
By making such a statement, Bannister suggested that all passengers will have to get out of their vehicles to undergo the checks until the app is ready.
In addition to the above-mentioned, it was just recently revealed that UK tourists will not be able to use the e-gates when travelling to the EU until the EES is introduced.
A detailed text agreement between the EU and UK said that British tourists will have to undergo manual passport stamping and wait in queues to complete border checks until at least October 2025.
It is yet to be seen how the authorities will handle the summer traffic and whether the current method will cause long waiting times at the border.