ETIAS & EES To Change The Way UAE Travellers Move Through The EU; Here’s All About It!

The ETIAS or European Travel Information and Authorisation System have been the talk of the town for quite some time. Not only the ETIAS, but also the Entry/Exit System or the EES has also been on the table for a while. But did you know that soon it could also change the way the UAE residents travel to Europe for holidays, business, or even to visit their family? Well, here’s how this may happen.

UAE Travellers To Face Changes In Travel

If you happen to be a UAE resident who travels to Europe for any purpose, then you might want to know about ETIAS and EES. Although it might not affect your plans just yet, it will, however, impact how you enter and move throughout the countries. Yes, as Europe prepares to launch ETIAS and EES, it’s bound to impact how tourists move around the continent. With the launch of these two new border management initiatives, bound to change the way people travel, here’s more you need to know about the two systems and how they are different.

ETIAS To Change Travelling

The ETIAS is basically an entry requirement for travellers who don’t need visas to enter the European countries for a short stay. Yes, this includes all 29 countries as part of the Schengen area, along with Cyprus. So, basically, a tool for visa-free travellers, this mandates them to apply for travel authorisation before they can start their trip. Although ATIAS is not a visa, it does modify the status of visa-free travellers.

EES For Entry & Exit

Coming to the EES, this system registers visa-free and visa-required travellers who enter Europe for a short stay. Although no action will be required by travellers before they start their trip, this registration will be done at the external border of any of the 29 European countries with a sophisticated system. The registration will be done every time a traveller crosses the external borders, which will replace the manual stamping of passports.

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More About The System

Since this is a digitised system, some information will be collected by the method of ETIAS travel authorisation. Travellers, therefore, will have to provide their personal information, like passport details, information about past travels to conflict zones or criminal convictions, current occupation, and address. As it happens, no biometric data, like fingerprints, will be collected for this system. However, EES will collect facial images and fingerprints! Not to mention, it will also collect travel document data along with the date and place from where the traveller entered and exited European countries using this system.

Coming to the introduction, it is expected that EES will become operational in October 2025. While ETIAS is expected to follow a few months after, and is expected to come into effect in the last quarter of 2026. Although the exact date is yet to be announced by the European Union later this year, it is true that it is bound to change the face of travel, not just for UAE residents but for those around the world.

Cover Image Courtesy: Canva Pro/Roman_Polyanyk