PLANS requiring passengers travelling to Europe direct from Jersey, or via the UK, to provide fingerprints and facial scans on arrival have been delayed again.
It was reported on Friday 11 October that the roll-out of a new entry/exit system – or EES – being implemented by the European Union has been postponed for a third time.
The upcoming changes mean that all non-European Union passengers arriving for the first time in 25 EU countries and the four non-EU countries that are part of the Schengen area will be met with additional requirements.
Cyprus and Ireland are not affected.
But writing in the Independent, travel expert Simon Calder, said that not only has the new system been delayed again but it may not be piloted until next year.
The EES was set to replace the current system of manual stamping of passports, which the EU has argued is time-consuming and unreliable for tracking border crossings and overstaying visitors, with the use of automated border controls.
Jersey Customs and Immigration have previously confirmed that the EES would have no effect on immigration controls in the Island.
At the time, a spokesperson said that “some delays” were anticipated for British nationals on their first arrival into the Schengen area from Jersey.
They added that once biometric data was collected for the first time, it was expected that subsequent checks would be quicker.
