Poland Approves Abolition Of Stamps In passports At The Border

How it will work and what Belarusians should prepare for?

The Council of Ministers of Poland adopted a draft law on the country's accession to the automatic entry and exit registration system at the external borders of the Schengen area. This system will allow keeping records of data on third-country nationals crossing the external borders of the Schengen Member States, without affixing the usual stamps in the passport. Telegraph learned how it will work and what Belarusians planning a trip abroad should prepare for.

The draft law, approved by the Polish government, provides for the adaptation of local legislation to EU regulations and connection to the entry/exit control system (EES). Its goal, according to the EU, is "to improve the safety of EU citizens", as well as to automate border checks and increase their efficiency, the Polish publication Bankier reported.

The draft law states that the EES system applies to all third-country nationals who are eligible for short-term entry into the country – that is, up to 90 days in any 180-day period. This applies both to foreigners who are required to obtain a visa and to third-country nationals with whom the EU has signed agreements on visa liberalisation for short stays.

The EES system will take into account data on the entry and exit of citizens, as well as information on the refusals. The system also includes an additional built-in calculator for automatic calculation of the period of authorized stay in the Schengen area. As follows from the bill approved by the Polish authorities, the data processed by the system can subsequently be used not only by border guards, but also by the Office for Foreigners, the police, the tax service, as well as the courts and local administration.

According to The Times, the new system will work in the EU in a month — from November 10.

In practice, for tourists, this means that when they first visit any country connected to the EES system, they will have to register their passport data and biometric data in the system, including fingerprints and a photo. Typically, this data is stored on the system for three years. Those who refuse to provide this data will be denied entry into the country.

Passing the border next time, the information will be checked using the previously entered data automatically using biometric data. The Times suggested that, most likely, this will be done by scanning the face, which should significantly speed up checks at the border. Only in rare cases, said the EU, presenting the new system, will the data be re-collected.

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