NOT VISAS, BUT... If you are travelling to EU countries on Sunday, arm yourself with patience, fingerprinting begins

(Patria) - From Sunday, October 12, new entry rules come into force in European Union countries, which will also apply to nationals of Western Balkan countries, including Bosnia and Herzegovina. As European institutions warn, due to the introduction of the EES, crowds and longer waiting times at borders are possible in the first weeks of the system's implementation.

If you are preparing to travel from BiH to the EU on Sunday, arm yourself with patience.

This concerns the new Entry/Exit System (EES), which will automatically record data on all travellers from countries that are not members of the EU or the Schengen area.

Upon each entry into the EU, travellers will have to provide fingerprints of four fingers and a facial photograph, along with entering data on the travel document, date and place of entry and exit from the Schengen zone.

This data will be stored in the European database, and the goal of the new system, as stated by the EU, is to increase security and prevent overstays.

After the EES, at the end of 2026, the ETIAS (European Travel Information and Authorisation System) will also be put into operation, which will further regulate entry into the EU for nationals of visa-free countries. Citizens of BiH will then have to fill out an online form before travelling to the EU, pay a fee of 20 euros (39.12 KM), receive an authorisation valid for three years, with the goals being security, efficiency and fewer abuses.

Although the EU emphasises that this is not the introduction of a visa regime, it is hard to shake the impression that there will be a restriction on freedom of movement, flow of goods, and a decline in tourist visits.