EU’s technocratic border control will be launched in October; it applies to all non-EU visitors

Rhoda Wilson

From 12 October, all visitors to all European Union countries will have their biometric data collected and stored by a centralised agency.  This agency will not only collect data on our movements but will also collect data from the criminal and justice systems.  In the future, it will also be collecting data from air carriers in advance on passengers.

On 30 July, the EU Commission published a press release about “the progressive start of operations of the EU’s Entry/Exit System (EES)” which will be launched on 12 October.  

This new EES will affect all non-EU nationals who travel to 29 European countries that make up the Schengen area.

“The EES is an advanced technological system that will digitally record the entries and exits of non-EU nationals … It will capture biometric data, such as fingerprints, facial image, and other travel information, gradually replacing the current system of passport stamping,” the press release states.

Going on to say, “From 12 October onwards, Member States will start introducing the EES gradually over a period of six months. Border authorities will progressively register the data of third country nationals crossing the borders … At the end of this period, the EES will be fully deployed at all border crossing points.”

Highlighting this new development in the article ‘Travel Notice: EU to Launch New Entry/Exit System on 12 Oct. 2025’, Epimetheus summed it up, “It’s just like the Covid Passport sh*tshow all over again.”

Along with forcing visitors onto a biometric surveillance system, the EU Commission also plans to increase its entry permit fees.  Epimethieus highlighted an article published by Heute last month (emphasis added):

The new EU entry system is scheduled to come into force at the end of 2026. As part of this, the entry fee is to be increased.

The EU Commission intends to increase the price of entry permits into the EU. Instead of the current seven euros, the price for the planned European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) will be 20 euros in the future.

That increase from the seven euros estimated in 2018 is due, according to the Commission, to account for increased inflation and additional operating costs …  According to the Commission, the increased fee is based on entry systems in other countries. [So not cost-based but rather how much they think they can get away with.]

[ETIAS] is mandatory for non-EU citizens from countries that do not require a visa, including the UK, Canada, and the US.

The EU Commission’s recent press release also mentions ETIAS:

The EES is part of the EU’s Smart Borders package, which aims to improve the management of the EU’s external borders by using state-of-the-art technology and innovative solutions. The package includes the EES, the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS), and an extended and more harmonised use of the Automated Border Control (ABC) systems utilised by the Member States.

More...