For years, Americans have been allowed to enter (most of) Europe unrestricted, without overly strict checks or entry permits required.
In some airports, like Charles de Gaulle in Paris and Fiumicino in Rome, they are even allowed to use eGates upon landing, like they’re Europeans.
Starting from November, however, they will be faced with additional bureaucracy:
Following years of deliberation, the Brussels-led bloc is finally reforming its border policy to meet the challenges of modern times, from security threats to irregular migration.
U.S. passport holders will not be exempt from further scrutiny when flying into the zone.
Starting from November 2024, if you’re an American, you should expect to get fingerprinted and registered upon crossing the European border, and there’s just no getting around it:
Why Is Europe Tightening Border Checks For Americans?
As confirmed by Ylva Johansson, the European Union Commissioner, the much-delayed Entry-Exit System (EES) of the European Union will launch on November 10 in an attempt to modernize the continent’s borders and strengthen security.
The EES is hardly a novelty–we’ve been reporting on it extensively over the past three years–but this is the first time the EU commissioner herself has confirmed a start date following multiple setbacks.
In case you’re still wondering what the EES entails, it refers to a biometric system that will use a traveler’s digital photograph, personal information and fingerprints to control their border movements, as well as their length of stay.
In general, Americans can only remain in the continent, or more specifically, the 29-country Schengen Area for 90 days out of any 180-day period; this means any time spent in any participating country counts towards the established limit.
For example, if you’re traveling long term and staying in Italy for a whole month, savoring your way through the southern Puglia region and going on a museum haul across the cultural hotspots of Florence and Rome, you’ll then only have 60 days to travel around 28 other Schengen countries.
As you should know by now if you’ve ever flown across the pond, European border officials continue to stamp passports of foreign arrivals, and those timed entries are usually their only indication as to how long an individual has remained in the Schengen territories.
From November onward, everything changes, and here’s how:
What Changes From November 10?
‘When that happens, it will be goodbye to passport stamping, hello to digital checks for all passengers from outside the EU‘, noted Johansson.
In effect, Americans––as well as all other non-European travelers––will be required to have their biometric data registered landing in Europe starting from November 10, with the information being stored in a database for three years.
This seems to coincide with the validity period for an ETIAS––Europe’s soon-to-be-launched travel permit also applying to Americans––so it appears re-registration will be enforced simultaneously following every ETIAS renewal.
In simpler terms, it might be that, if you’re a frequent traveler to Europe, this means applying for an ETIAS, and registering your data into the EES every three years, or earlier if you’ve recently renewed your passport.
Regarding ETIAS, the much-debated, controversial entry authorization system is set to be introduced from 2025 only, so you don’t need to worry about that specifically if you’re traveling in the Old Continent this upcoming winter.
Once the ETIAS is fully operational, you will not be allowed to board Europe-bound flights unless you’ve been pre-screened and submitted an application online in advance.
This is in fact less complicated than it sounds, as every ETIAS application is processed online, and the application process itself takes no longer than some minutes, with most travelers, particularly low-risk ones like Americans, being expected to get instant approval.
You will have to pay a €7 fee, though, and remember, holding a valid ETIAS does not guarantee entry into Europe: that’s still up for border officers to decide, and they will definitely take into account your profile as a traveler, and whether you have a history of respecting the 90 day rule or not.
That’s where the EES comes into play.
One thing is for certain: travelers will not need to undergo the registration process every time they enter and leave the bloc.
Long story short, out with passport stamps, in with fingerprinting and digital checks.
‘At every single airport, every single harbor and every single road into Europe, we will have digital border controls––all connected, all switched on at the very same time‘, concluded the EU Commissioner.
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