No Schengen visa stamping on passports soon: How new entry-exit system will work

The Schengen region is developing a new central entry and exit system for visitors from other countries and will do away with the need for visa stamping on the passport, a senior official said on Tuesday.

This will allow the European countries to increase scrutiny of the nationals who will travel from outside the region.

“A new entry and exit system is being developed to register every entry into the Schengen areas. It is aimed at ensuring that we are more aware of the identity of the person visiting us. At the borders, there will be a collection of biometric and facial scans to ensure that we are talking about the right person,” said Francois Laruelle, director of the European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS) Division at Frontex, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency.

He added that there will be no passport stamping, which will be replaced with automatic registration at the entry and exit system. “Also, border guards are supposed to check at the moment of storing biometric information in the system that it corresponds to the person in front of them and is not somebody else,” he said.

Laruelle spoke during a keynote address at the Global Conference for Shaping Future Policies of Ports in Dubai on Tuesday. Many senior immigration and visa officials from the UAE, Singapore, the US and Europe took part in the conference.

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