Let travelers enroll biometrics from their sofa to ease EES delays: ex-UK border chief

The EU’s new entry and exit system (EES) will complicate travel between the UK and the European continent, and the former head of the British Border Force says the EU should allow biometric fingerprint scans to verify travelers in advance, to avoid “chaos” at certain border checkpoints.

At present, the EU is insisting that biometric checks set to start on November 17 will take seven minutes per car or family, with fingerprinting, on departure. The Telegraph quotes Tony Smith, who served as Director General of the UK Border Force until 2013 and founded the International Border Management and Technologies Association (IBMATA), who believes resulting delays will cause bedlam, notably at the Eurotunnel and at Port Dover.

Smith says UK travelers present a low risk to the continent and wants travelers on ferries, Eurotunnel and Eurostar to be able to pre-verify with biometrics by doing fingerprint checks at visa application centers in the UK, and submitting other personal data and a photograph through a mobile app.

“Why can’t we do this in a different way?,” Smith asks. “Why do you have to do it at a French border guard kiosk on departure? Why not do it on your sofa? Get your passport. Get your mobile phone. Register that data on the app and submit it to the EU in advance of going there.”

The UK’s plans to implement a similar clearance system enable users to submit personal data securely through an app. Fingerprints are not in the picture.

For EES, biometrics are mandatory; those who refuse to provide them will be denied entry. But Travelers will only need to provide fingerprint biometrics and a photo of their face the first time they cross the border after EES takes effect. Afterward, crossing will only require a passport scan. Biometrics are kept on file for three years.

The UK is asking the EU for more runway in its “grace period,” during which biometrics collection can be suspended if queues get out of control. In an effort to collaborate on easing pain points, it has also expanded the French border control zone at the Port of Dover to give border officials more space to do checks.

The BBC reports that Dover has been making major upgrades to its port infrastructure. “Bespoke facilities” to carry out the checks will include 24 kiosks for coach passengers. Passengers crossing in cars will need to be registered by an agent with a tablet.

Still, concerns are high that EES will change how Brits cross the border and make travel a bigger headache. And there is uncertainty about how certain regulations will work – for instance, visa-free travel allowances. The Connexion publishes a question from a reader regarding whether digitization and the introduction of the biometrics requirement will “reset” the number of visa-free days they are permitted in the EU.

The short answer is, no. Agents will track previous passport stamps to ensure travelers are not using the new regulations to overstay. Visa free-days for the Schengen area reset after 180 days spent outside the EU.

Tony Smith, for his part, says the EU is perhaps being just a tad rigid about adherence to a 2017 regulation stipulating that all biometric tests be carried out at the point of entry to the EU under the supervision of a border officer.

“The EU won’t shift from that position but they could if they were so minded,” says Smith.

Article Topics

biometric identification  |  biometrics  |  border security  |  Entry/Exit System (EES)  |  EU  |  mobile app  |  UK