The days of looking back at your global travels via passport stamps are coming to a close as countries move to digitize immigration processes at their borders. Travel + Leisure reports 29 countries in the European Union will swap their passport stamps for the region’s new Entry/Exist System (EES), which will keep track of travelers’ goings to and from these countries via a digital footprint. Though the new system’s landing date has been pushed back various times in recent years, it is now slated to go into effect on Oct. 12, less than two months away. From there, the system will undergo a gradual implementation to be completed by April of next year.
According to Euronews, the EES is a registration system for U.K., U.S., and other non-EU travelers. It will require these travelers to scan their passports and/or other travel documentation at self-service kiosks each time they cross EU borders. EU citizens and those with long-stay visas will not need to register.
T+L reports the goal is to modernize borders, but for travelers who have relished the sweet pride of a fresh stamp on a weathered passport page for decades, the convenience of digitization takes away some of the novelty of entering a new country. A stamp from a security official says: “I was here” and a face scan at an electronic kiosk in a dreary airport instead says: “was I here?”
Electronic kiosks and facial recognition technology are creeping in on every airport process, replacing human interactions at border control, check-in, and beyond. New programs like TSA’s Clear Plus, use fingerprint, eye and/or facial scans as security checks.
It’s not just the EU, however, that has stopped issuing passport stamps. Australia, Indonesia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Argentina, and the U.S. have all gradually phased out the use of this process. More digitized systems can be expected to replace manual operations at airports in years to come as many are already making the switch to more advanced technology.
