EU Nationals Subject to Stricter Security Checks Across Union’s Borders

Starting today (April 7), authorities will be carrying out identity checks on all inbound or outgoing travelers, including EU nationals, across EU borders, as part of a March 15 European Parliament decision to tighten security following terror strikes in Paris, Germany and Brussels.

The stricter checks across the EU’s passport-free Schengen Area will inevitably lead to longer waits at border crossings and airports. In cases of heavy traffic flows, authorities will be able to ease some border control checks while a transitional period has also been extended to airports.

The new regulations foresee that EU citizens traveling by air, sea or land – who unit recently went through special lines and were not checked – will now also be cross-checked with the Schengen Information System (SIS) and Interpol’s SLTD, along with non-EU nationals.

Meanwhile, future plans include the installation of automated fingerprint identification services at borders.