The EU’s new Entry & Exit System (EES) of enhanced passport controls will likely be launched on October twelfth, albeit in a phased in strategy, however how will it affect non-EU residents legally dwelling in EU/Schengen international locations?
The EU’s new Entry & Exit System is mainly an enhanced passport test at exterior exterior Schengen borders, that features giving a facial scan and fingerprints.
You’ll find a full rationalization of the brand new system HERE.
Non-EU guests, together with these on short-stay visas, crossing an exterior EU or Schengen border for the primary time will likely be required to finish the EES checks.
The scheme will formally start on October twelfth 2025 however solely at sure entry factors and never for all passengers. By April 2026 all non-EU guests will likely be topic to the checks.
There are, nevertheless, a number of teams exempt from EES and one in every of them is non-EU nationals who’ve a residency allow or long-stay visa for an EU nation.
However being exempt doesn’t suggest non-EU residents in European international locations will not be caught up in any EES associated queues or delays at borders.
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So should you’re a foreigner dwelling within the EU or Schengen zone, this is what it’s essential to know.
Exempt
One of many said goals of EES is to tighten up enforcement of over-staying – in different phrases individuals who keep longer than 90 days in each 180 within the EU/Schengen space with no visa, or those that overstay the boundaries of their short-stay visa.
Clearly these limits don’t apply to non-EU nationals who’re resident within the EU or Schengen zone, which is why this group is exempt from EES checks. They may as an alternative be required to indicate their passport and residency allow/visa when crossing a border, simply as they do now.
In its explanations of how EES will work, the European Fee is obvious – exempt teams embrace non-EU residents of the Bloc.
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A Fee spokesman advised The Native: “Non-EU residents residing within the EU usually are not within the scope of the EES and won’t be topic to pre-enrollment of knowledge within the EES by way of self-service programs. Using automation stays beneath the accountability of the Member States and its availability in border crossing factors is just not necessary.
“When crossing the borders, holders of EU residence permits ought to be capable of current to the border authorities their legitimate journey paperwork and residence permits.”
How this can work
How this can work on the bottom, nevertheless, varies relying on how you’re travelling.
Most often, exempt teams will be unable to make use of the automated passport scanners – since these can’t scan extra paperwork like residency permits – however ought to as an alternative use manned passport cubicles.
Nonetheless it’s not clear whether or not these will likely be obtainable in any respect airports/ports/terminals or precisely how non-EU residents of the EU will likely be directed to these companies.
A number of transport suppliers, together with Eurotunnel, which runs cross-channel rail shuttles between France and the UK, says non-EU residents of EU/Schengen states ought to merely head straight to the traditional border factors and skip the EES checks. In the meantime the Ports of Dover and Calais say that non-EU residents of the EU ought to flag up their standing to workers at check-in, and they are going to be directed to the proper place.
READ ALSO: Dover and Eurotunnel reveal begin dates for brand spanking new EES passport checks✎
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However as many travellers will know, particular person border guards usually are not all the time clear on the processes and guidelines for non-EU residents of the EU. Even beneath the present system it is comparatively generally for EU residents to have their passports incorrectly stamped or be given incorrect details about passport stamping by border guards.
Brits specifically will bear in mind the fast post-Brexit interval when the processes as described by the EU and nationwide authorities incessantly didn’t match what was taking place on the bottom.
The important thing factor is that EES doesn’t really change any of the principles for entry to the EU/Schengen zone – it solely adjustments enforcement of the principles. For residents of the EU, having a sound residency allow all the time trumps having an incorrect stamp added to their passport.
What if I reside within the EU however I haven’t got a visa/residency allow?
For many non-EU residents, having both a visa or a residency allow is compulsory in an effort to be legally resident.
Nonetheless, there’s one exception: UK residents who had been legally resident within the EU previous to the tip of the Brexit transition interval and who reside in one of many “declaratory” international locations the place getting a post-Brexit residency card was non-compulsory, moderately than obligatory. Declaratory international locations embrace Germany, Italy and Spain.
Though it’s authorized for individuals on this scenario to reside in these international locations with no residency allow, authorities already advise individuals to get one in an effort to keep away from confusion/trouble/delays on the border. Though EES doesn’t change any guidelines regarding residency or journey, it appears doubtless that will probably be extra trouble to journey with no residency card than it’s now.
For instance Brits in Italy and Spain are being inspired to acquire the related post-Brexit residency permits to have the ability to show they’re exempt as soon as EES is in place. Brits in Germany have been given an inventory of paperwork they’ll use to show they’re residents and therefor not topic to EES checks.
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Delays
Though residents of the EU don’t want to finish EES formalities, they may very well be affected if the brand new system causes lengthy queues or delays on the border.
A number of international locations have expressed worries about this, with the UK-France border a selected trigger for concern.
Travelling with non-exempt passengers?
One other approach exempt travellers will likely be caught up in EES queues is that if they’re travelling in a automobile with non-EU guests who usually are not exempt.
At ferry ports and the Eurotunnel terminals autos are directed to EES kiosks if there are non-EU guests travelling, so even when one individual is an EU nationwide or a authorized resident in Europe, the automobile will likely be directed by means of to the EES space. Clearly anybody exempt will not must bear the person checks and scans.
The place does it apply?
EES is about exterior EU/Schengen borders, so doesn’t apply in case you are travelling throughout the Schengen zone – eg taking the prepare from France to Germany or flying from Spain to Sweden.
Eire and Cyprus, regardless of being within the EU, usually are not within the Schengen zone so won’t be utilizing EES, they’ll proceed to stamp passports manually.
Norway, Switzerland and Iceland – international locations which might be within the Schengen zone however not within the EU – will likely be utilizing EES.
The total record of nations utilizing EES is: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.
Due to this fact a journey between any of the international locations listed above won’t be coated by EES.
Nonetheless a journey in or out of any of these international locations from a rustic not listed above will likely be coated by EES.
You’ll find our full Q&A on EES HERE.
