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EU/Digital border registration for foreigners comes into effect

2025-10-12 21:07:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

According to the European Commission, the new regulation that entered into force this Sunday (12.10.2025) aims to digitally record all border entries and exits for all non-EU citizens. In the automated system, travelers must scan their passports at the border, where the system will also record fingerprints and a photograph of the traveler.

For German citizens and citizens of other EU member states, nothing will change from the procedures currently applied.

Digital registration of personal data
Upon first entry into the Schengen area, citizens from non-EU countries must register their personal data. The Schengen area includes all EU member states, as well as Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and Liechtenstein, with the exception of Ireland and Cyprus.

For further travel, only biometric facial recognition will be required. The system will replace the stamp in the passport with an electronic application. To speed up the process at the border, some data can be provided in advance via the app or at the passenger self-service terminals. For passengers to the UK, using the port of Dover, or the Eurotunnel terminal in Folkestone or the Eurostar train station in St Pancras in London, registration takes place before leaving the UK. Exceptions are made for people who hold a residence card and are directly related to an EU citizen.

Fight fraud and illegal migration
The EU aims to create more security and prevent the movement of criminals through this new system. "The Entry-Exit System at the border is the digital pillar of our new common European framework for migration and asylum," said EU Commissioner for Home Affairs and Migration, Magnus Brunner. The EES will help to verify people who overstay their rights. It also aims to combat identity fraud and limit illegal migration. In the next six months, the system will gradually be put into operation in all 29 countries of the Schengen area. In addition to the 25 EU countries, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland are also part of Schengen. From 10 April 2026, this system will have to function at all border crossing points at the European external borders. From this date, the stamp in the passport will also be removed permanently. In Germany, after Düsseldorf airport, Frankfurt am Main and Munich airports will follow with this system, as the Interior Ministry noted. All other airports and ports will gradually be included in this system. Train passengers may also be affected, such as those crossing the border via the Eurostar train from London to Paris, Brussels or Amsterdam to Germany.

Soon to be issued with a fee for entry into EU countries
The EES system is the first step in a border system that the EU intends to establish. In the first quarter of 2026, according to the EU, an additional fee for travel permits will be applied to foreigners outside the community who do not need a visa. This affects citizens from around 50 countries - such as citizens from European countries e.g. Albania, Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, but also from the USA, Canada, the United Kingdom, Brazil, the United Arab Emirates, Israel and South Korea. Citizens from these countries will have to apply in the so-called ETIAS system. Through this system, the authorities can also refuse a travel permit if they have security concerns about the applicant. Similar systems already exist in the UK and the USA./ DW