New biometric entry system for non-EU visitors starts in October
EES aims to eventually replace passport stamps, curb irregular migration and misuse of visa-free travel, detect false identities
A new entry system that will involve fingerprinting and facial recognition for non-EU visitors will be introduced at Malta International Airport on October 12.
The EU entry exit system (EES) will impact any tourists or business visitors who are not EU citizens, including Britons, with the UK being the second largest driver of passenger traffic to Malta.
A police spokesperson said the system was “in its final stages of completion and has already entered its testing phase” and “will enter into operation on October 12. Both fingerprints and facial images will be used in the system”.
The new system aims to eventually replace passport stamps with a digital record and allow the bloc to speed up the entry of pre-approved frequent non-EU travellers. It is also intended to curb irregular migration by using biometric data to track overstays, the misuse of visa-free travel or detect the use of false identities.
Fingerprinting and facial recognition machines will be in a new non-Schengen arrivals area that was commissioned in June.
“This expanded facility now accommodates twice the number of immigration booths, in preparation for the Immigration department’s phased implementation of the new EU Entry/Exit System, which is set to commence in October,” a spokesperson for Malta International Airport (MIA) said.
When non-EU nationals enter any of these countries, they will be subject to the EES.EES is an automated EU-wide platform
The Entry/Exit System (EES) is an automated EU-wide platform that will register non-EU travellers each time they cross an EU external border. The system applies to both short-stay visa holders and visa-exempt travellers. A short stay is defined as a stay of up to 90 days within any 180-day period.
EU citizens and people from Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland are not subject to the EES, which will be operated in Malta by the border control section of the Malta Police Force.
The system will collect each traveller’s name, type of travel document, biometric data (fingerprints and facial image), as well as the date and place of entry and exit. It will also record any refusal of entry.
In a statement, Malta International Airport said work has begun on a second phase of the project, which involves expanding the terminal building towards the east.
While Malta will begin in October, the EU last month said the rollout across the bloc would take place over six months.
The EES is part of the EU’s broader Security Union measures and supports goals set out in the European Agenda on Security and the European Agenda on Migration.