Starting November 10, 2024, if you travel from Serbia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Albania, Montenegro, or any similar visa-free country to the EU, border officials will scan your ID at the border.

All EU countries except Cyprus and Ireland, along with Schengen countries like Iceland, Norway, and Switzerland, will implement the new measures.

If you’ve ever needed a visa to enter the EU, some of this might sound familiar, you probably had to submit a photo with your visa application and get your fingerprints taken.

The new system will monitor everyone entering and leaving the area by tracking their travel papers and personal information.

EU authorities say this system will also monitor anyone turned away at the border or staying longer than allowed.

Right now, everyone traveling in the EU and Schengen zone can stay for up to 90 days within a 180-day period, which applies to all countries covered by the new system.

To make border control easier, they’re rolling out so called automatic checks systems.

This includes allowing you to register your travel data before you reach border control.

“You’ll also need a digital passport with a chip that carries your biometric info. If you don’t have one, you can still cross the border, but you won’t have access to the quicker, automatic processes,” stated the European Commission.

These automatic systems are designed to cut down on border control times as much as possible and to help strengthen the border rules of the European Union and the Schengen zone.