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New EU Biometric Border Checks Begin in October

New EU Biometric Border Checks Begin in October

Author: admin | 11 Aug 2025

On October 12, the European Union will roll out its much-debated Entry/Exit System (EES), which will be launched gradually at external border posts at major external border points, starting with high-traffic hubs including Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport and Dover Port. The new technology will eliminate the concept of stamping passports. This new advanced system will be energy-efficient in delivering a digital identity verification system driven by fingerprints and facial recognition algorithms.

The EES will apply to every non-EU individual holding a passport, and to UK travellers, at airports, ferry ports, and land border crossings. Before using the system, travelers will complete a one-time enrollment at self-service terminals by verifying their passport and biometric details. Afterwards, they can authenticate via biometrics to speed up future entry and exit processing.

The expected outcomes of the system will consist of accelerating the process of border inspection, increasing security, and detecting travel habits, including identifying visa overstays. Although there have been several delays to the smooth implementation of EES in recent years, EU officials claim that its gradual introduction will have minimal disruption and will bring about effective integration at all border points.

Digitising passenger verification routines will represent a broader push toward AI-enabled border management across the globe. The EES will be a demonstration of this, as it will work in bringing both effectiveness and added protection to international travel.

Global Trend of Using Biometrics to Streamline Cross-Border Travel

The EES of the EU is part of a wider international trend pushing toward biometric border controls. Facial recognition is also used in the U.S. CBP (Customs and Border Protection) Biometric Entry-Exit Program that will check passengers upon arrival at airports, whereas the ETA (Estimated Time of Arrival) system in the UK will demand biometric pre-screening of some passengers by 2025. Likewise, nations such as the UAE and Singapore have also taken initiatives to adopt the use of automated biometric gates as part of a global movement toward automating identity verification for passengers for border crossings to accelerate the process and secure it.