“Border Control Registration”: If you’re traveling to the EU and the wider Schengen area, start getting used to this term. This is one of the additional hurdles Britain overcame with the brave decision to take back control and leave the EU.
The Entry-Exit System (EES) stands for “third-country nationals”, such as British passport holders traveling to the EU and the wider Schengen area, who must be photographed and fingerprinted at the border. To do this, European countries add an additional barrier to routine passport checks.
The process of providing your biometrics is officially known as a border control registration. At many borders, it forms a legion of tall kiosks, usually glowing red or green, towering over them as travelers tentatively approach. The machines have been gathering dust at European airports for a year or so, but now they’re up and running.
I first discussed EES hardware and software on the Digital Frontiers initiative launch date, October 12th. I flew to Prague specifically to test it because the Czech Republic said it would be 100% live from day one. Almost all other countries take their time.
The process was hardly frictionless: putting your passport and fingerprints in the correct place in the approved way is far from intuitive. But what was most disturbing was the on-screen interrogation. Passengers are requested to:
- Proof of residence?
- A round-trip ticket?
- Payment method?
For the latter, checks require you to carry at least €66 (£57) in cash or a credit or debit card per day. You will also be asked if you have travel insurance. And that’s what reader Richard Markson contacted me about.
“Some websites say proof of travel insurance may be required when traveling to EU countries,” he wrote. “Is that so?”
It’s complicated. The delayed introduction of the EES is very separate from the conditions a UK traveler must have when entering the Schengen area. They have not changed. Schengen’s main requirements are that you have sufficient funds to support yourself, or a ticket to exit the area after a short visit, or the means to obtain one.
So why the concern that proof of travel insurance might be required? It all has to do with how the entry-exit system is set up by the various member states. When setting up the kiosks, each country can specify the exact amount of funding it expects to receive from travelers entering the Schengen area through its borders. And each can add additional requirements.
The French officially expect every third-country national to have “certificate of insurance covering all medical and hospital costs you may incur during your stay in France, as well as medical repatriation costs and costs in the event of death”. However, until the check-in and check-out system, British travelers were simply not asked for any proof of cover.
Surprisingly, the EES kiosks at the Eurostar terminal, London St Pancras International, were initially programmed with a question about medical insurance. But just 48 hours after the check-in system was launched, Eurostar’s Simon Lejeune told me that the request had been removed from the on-screen inquiry. The port of Dover has also removed this request.
In theory, the French could pop the question again after it’s completed next April, but I’d bet they won’t. The mystery is: why it was there in the first place. It appears that officials from various country ministries across Europe decided to follow local law rather than ask officers on the front line what was really going on.
Occasionally a Dutch or German border official will occasionally ask for proof of exit, but elsewhere I’ve never been challenged to meet post-Brexit demands.
These ‘third country nationals’ questions are mainly aimed at visitors from less affluent countries rather than weekenders in the UK.
A word from Dr. Nick Brown – a data sleuth who has scrutinized the check-in and check-out system more closely than most people in government and the travel industry. He says that these conditions mainly apply to visa applicants from outside Europe.
“Most of the questions are related to the admission criteria, which are heavily vetted at the consulate when people need visas. These questions are officially required of everyone, but there is no way a border official can meaningfully verify them in real time.
“For example, someone who comes from LMIC [low- and middle-income country] They must show that they have X amount of convertible currency in a bank account [but a] The UK is not going to be asked to bring the current account and ISA balance that backs up their debit card.
Back at the Prague airport, I suspect many uninsured travelers will incorrectly answer “yes” to the travel insurance question – especially those on stag and hen adventures. Ironically, they are potentially the people who may need coverage the most.
Simon Calder, also known as The Man Who Pays His Way, has been writing about travel for The Independent since 1994. In his weekly opinion column, he explores a key travel topic – and what it means for you.
