What is the difference between Etias and EES? Frequent travelers to Europe must have heard of EES, but Etias is a new addition to the mix and will become an important piece of document for travelers coming to Europe from Visa free countries in the coming months; what makes it different from EES which has been in place for quite some time now? We explain the key differences between Etias and EES in this short review.
Europe Travel Regulations
Europe is the most visited country on the planet, with more than 200 million applications for entry every year from travelers living abroad. The Entry- Exist System is one of the documents that will be used by border control agents in the Schengen region and is an electronic system. EES is going to contribute significantly to border security for many years and is likely going to continue for many years, but the European Union has introduced the European Travel Information and Authorization System, which is set to go into motion in 2024.
The purpose of both systems is to make Europe safer. While the EES is set to go live fully in 2023, ETIAS will go live in 2024.
EES
The Entry-Exit System is a registration system designed to register the entry and exit data of travelers coming to Europe. Besides entering such data, it will also register the information of applicants or visitors who are refused entry into the Schengen zone. The information collaged by the EES will be used to support border control infrastructure and other systems that are already active and used by border authorities in Europe.
EES aims to manage the influx of travelers entering and exiting Europe for a short time. EES is the System that will record their data for travelers coming to Europe or applying to Europe for 90 days within 180 days. Immigration and border agents will use it along with ETIAS and the Visa Information System (VIS) to improve application speed, border control, and other processes. It will also help the authorities track visitors with stolen identities or those who overstay their visit.
Objectives of EES
The Entry-Exit System is designed to make border checks and control fully automated and to collate data of visitors with a centralized system to authorities can extract their data as swiftly as possible when making a judgment. EES will also reduce crime and prevent visitors from overstaying their visas or ETIAS.
How Are ETIAS and EES similar?
Birth is similar to how they function, which is online-based. They work with data storage and can be used to source information within a short time. Border authorities will deploy them in each Schengen country, and all member states will have access to the same data. The information both systems require from travelers is different, but there are some they have in common, like the visitor's full name, fingerprint, and photograph. However, access to this information will be limited to Europol and visa and border authorities.
What Is The Difference Between Etias and EES?
Let us review the differences between Etias and EES.
Operationality
EES will be used to record the entry and exit of foreigners coming to Europe and will replace the manual stamping of passports as was the norm in the past. This will speed up the entry processing for arriving visitors, making the process far more efficient. ETIAS, conversely, is a visa waiver system that vets the visitor's identity to ensure that they pose no risk to their host country or are not on the terror watchlist.
ETIAS has nothing to do with recording entries or exits and will function like the United States's ESTA, which also has an application form that all eligible visitors must fill out.
Information Gathered
The basic information ETIAS is designed to gather the visitor's personal data, contact details, and passport information. There are also some security questions the applicant must answer.
As for EES only captures the visitor's biometric data, fingerprint, and facial image once they arrive or are about to depart Europe.
Time Of Use
ETIAS is required before the applicant arrives in Europe. Based on the rules, the third country national must have applied for it at least 96 hours before they arrive at their main destination in Europe but after they've arrived. EES is only used once visitors arrive in Europe or are about to leave.
Infrastructure
Etias scans information across several security Databases to pre-screen applicants, but EES does not. Rather it only stores data in a databank for reference purposes.
Furthermore, there is a €7 application fee for applicants that use ETIAS but none for travelers who use EES
Since you now know what is the difference between Etias and EES, you can visit VisaHQ to apply for ETIAS if you are from a visa-free country.