Spanish airports already have biometric scanners on site ahead of the rollout of the EU’s long-delayed Entry/Exit System, the Spanish Eye can reveal.
Pictures taken by this newspaper at Sevilla airport show the machines lined up in a row by the departure area and passport control that has long been set aside for non-Schengen destinations like the UK.
They clearly show a fingerprint pad, with instructions for future travellers on how to scan their four fingers, while a passport scanner sits next to it.
The scanners sit below a large screen fitted with at least two cameras, which will allow for the traveller’s face to be scanned.
Spain’s airport operator Aena told the Spanish Eye: ‘Indeed, this is the equipment necessary for the implementation of the so-called Entry Exit System (EES) for border control, which in Spain is carried out by the National Police.
‘This new process will be implemented in a coordinated manner and according to the timeframes stipulated by the European Commission.’
The Entry/Exit System (EES) will be up and running by early October, it was reported on Monday.
The system will get rid of passport stamping for third-country nationals entering Schengen Zone countries such as Spain.
It will be replaced by passport and biometric scanners which will automatically calculate how many days each traveller from countries like the UK have spent in the European Union.
Following Brexit, British nationals can only spend 90 in 180 days in the EU, just like those from the US, Canada and the majority of other non-EU countries.
According to The Independent, the EES system will go live on October 12, in less than 12 weeks’ time.
The scheme will connect all frontier points to a central database, logging biometric data and movements to help enforce visa rules and flag suspected criminals.
It could spell travel chaos for Brits as the date is timed perfectly for the October half-term school break.
Holidaymakers using EES machines at borders will need to submit fingerprints and a facial scan, although passports will continue to be stamped during the transition period.
Following a series of delays and some countries simply not being ready, the EU has been forced to implement a phased rollout of the EES.
It means some airports and ports will be requiring fingerprints and scanners while some will be stamping manually only.
According to the EU, the transition period will last until April 9, 2026, when it expects all Schengen entry points to be fully compliant with EES.
Anyone from the UK or a ‘third’ nation will need to provide four fingerprints and a facial scan. Children under 12 will not be required to give their fingerprints.
Read more Spain news at the Spanish Eye.
