The Entry-Exit System: the next step in smart and strong borders
Air, sea and land crossing is a complex process. A new era of external border management is coming: protecting the security of citizens facilitated by the use of biometrics stored in centralised databases.
EES for a centralised architecture
Millions of people per year cross the external borders of the Schengen Area. Naturally, scalable border management and internal security have become a high priority for the European Union. Captured biometrics such as facial images and fingerprints are currently stored in local databases of each EU Member State, resulting in a fragmented system.
To manage the complicated challenge of bringing the different electronic systems together, the European Parliament voted in two legislations: EES and ETIAS.
The Entry-Exit system or EES will enhance the centralisation of a digital record of all visitors travelling in and out of the Schengen Zone. ETIAS, the European Travel Information Authorisation System, is an electronic system that will authorise and track travellers not required to apply for a visa to enter the Schengen Area.
The EU borders in 2022
EES will be fully operational in mid-2022 and will apply to all Third Country Nationals who travel for long- or short-term stays. Passengers under the visa-exempt or visa regime program are also subject to the system.
Europe will manage one of the largest biometric systems in the world. Eu-LISA, the European agency of large-scale IT systems, is responsible for developing the centralised database.
The travel information and biometric data will be highly secured and only accessible to border personnel, visa-granting authorities and police. The individual Member States will be responsible for the organisation, management, and operation of EES and their national border infrastructure.
A passenger-centric approach
Saving time is key. At Laxton, we have the knowledge and experience in-house to help ease the strain at borders by integrating reliable biometric solutions. User experience is highly important in border crossing, and security is not just the main objective; it’s a requirement.
