One of the simplest delights of travel used to be thumbing through your passport, when stamps from visits to countries near and far and each would bring forth bright memories of your adventures.
Sadly, those colourful stamps have fallen victim to the unrelenting march of technology as digital immigration systems have taken hold – and all of Europe is next on the list.
European border stations will no longer stamp passports as of 10 November 2024, when the EU moves to a biometric-based Entry-Exit System (EES).
“When that happens, it will be goodbye to passport stamping, hello to digital checks for all passengers from outside the EU,” according to EU commissioner Ylva Johansson.
“At every single airport, every single harbour and every single road into Europe, we will have digital border controls” which will all go live on 10 November, “making travel easier and border checks gradually faster.”
Those checkpoints will rely on digital photographs and fingerprints for registering travellers from all non-EU countries.
It will apply to both short-stay visa holders and visa-exempt travellers.
The EES also sets the stage for the introduction of a mandatory electronic visa waiver – the long-delayed European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) – in the first half of 2025, Johansson said.
Similar to the United States’ ESTA program, and the UK ETA launching later this year, Europe’s electronic travel authorisation will cost €7 (A$11.50) and be valid for three years.
Also read: Australia is finally ditching the incoming passenger card
EU releases new travel rules for Australian visitors
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