The European Union is planning a new entry/exit system (EES) for non-EU nationals that will become effective in May in all the countries that are part of the Schengen area. The system will be in force at external border crossing points in the bloc and will record personal data of non-EU visitors.
The EES will collect the person’s name, type of the travel document, biometric data, the places of entry and exit, and length of stay. Non-EU residents within the Schengen area will not be subject to the new system. Data will be stored in a new EU database for three years.
The new system is coming with some issues attached to it. There are concerns that after its implementation delays will increase for a while. Some countries, like the Netherlands are planning to implement a mobile app and self-service kiosks to pre-register data in an effort to curb checking times. Another major concern regards security. The EES will generate a huge amount of personal data for millions of travellers.
