A major change is now in force for travellers entering 29 European countries.
The European Union (EU) Entry/Exit System (EES) roll-out is now complete, registering all non-EU nationals, including Aussies, travelling in or out of the Schengen area.
Australians will now have their fingerprints and photo taken and questions asked to create a digital record when entering certain European countries.
The 29 countries in the Schengen area of Europe where the EES is now in place are:
Australians can travel for short trips - including tourism, visiting friends and family and transit - without a visa, to the Schengen area for up to 90 days in any 180-day period.
You'll need a visa if you're staying for over 90 days.
What data does the EES collect?
The new EES collects, records and stores your full name and date of birth, date and place of each entry and exit, your facial image and fingerprints (called "biometric data"), and whether you were refused entry.
The information collected creates a digital record of each passenger and if you revisit the area within three years, you'll only need to provide your fingerprint and/or photograph at the border on entry and exit.
It will replace the old system of manually stamping passports.
The new registration process should only take a few minutes but there could be longer queues when it starts.
Pre-travel authorisation coming
The related European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) visa waiver program is still forthcoming.
Soon, Australians will need to undertake pre-travel screening before entering European Schengen countries.
The ETIAS is being introduced to find out more about incoming travellers for security reasons.
Delayed a number of times, the new system will now start operations in the last quarter of 2026.
No action is required by passengers yet but you can read more about it at travel-europe.europa.eu/en/etias