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FOR THOSE of you who often travel abroad, passport stamps may be one of the things you look forward to. Not only is it a sign that we have visited the country, you also want the stamp to add to the collection in your passport because the shape in each country is different.
Speaking of passport stamps, the European Union or Schengen countries are indeed a series of countries that still use passport stamps as a sign that you are allowed to enter. However, in the future they will no longer use passport stamps for tourists.
Reported by Travel and Leisure, Europe plans to no longer provide manual passport stamps for tourists starting next year. This is because the European Union will soon introduce a new screening system for tourists entering the country. The European Union will impose an all-digital tourist screening system.
28 European countries including France, Greece, and Spain will soon adopt the new EU Entry/Exit System (EES). Through this system, the process of entering and exiting tourists will be scanned with high-tech tools.
EES itself is a digital system or platform that will be installed at each tourist entrance. Similar to the seamless or digital airport screening process, EES also relies on biometric data such as facial scans to fingerprints.
For tourists who refuse to provide the biometric data required for screening, they can be denied entry into the country.
An EU spokesperson said the system is still being developed with participating countries. However, they hope to launch EES by 2024. The launch could be sooner or later depending on the readiness of the participating EU countries.
As quoted from its official website, EES has many advantages, one of which is a system that can save time.
“EES replaces passport stamps and automates border control procedures, making travel to European countries using EES more efficient for travelers,” wrote on the official website.
The countries that will participate in EES are Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland and France. Then, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta and the Netherlands.Then, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.
The EES website points out that although Cyprus and Ireland are members of the European Union, for now tourists will still have their passports stamped manually. Prior to the introduction of EES, the EU had also introduced a new entry system for tourists, the European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS). This system requires tourists to pay 7-euro or around Rp 113 thousand.
According to an EU spokesperson, both ETIAS and EES will work in tandem to identify tourists entering the EU. [sources/photo special]
