Czech checkpoint: man vs machine at Prague airport

“Border Control Registration”: If you travel European Union And the wider Schengen Area, start getting used to the term. It is one of those additional hurdles that the British bravely honored themselves with by taking back control and deciding to leave the EU.

Entry-Exit System (EES) This means that “third country nationals” such as Britons traveling to the EU and the wider Schengen area must be photographed and fingerprinted at the border. To do this, European countries are adding an extra hurdle on top of normal passport checks.

The process of providing your biometrics was previously known as border control registration. At many borders it consists of tall kiosks, usually glowing red or green, that loom over travelers as they approach. These machines have been gathering dust in airports across Europe for a year or more, but now they are being put to work.

I struggled with EES hardware and software on the first launch date For Digital Border Scheme, 12 October. i flew praha Specifically to test it, because the Czech Republic said it would be 100 percent live from day one. Almost all other countries are taking their time.

The process was hardly friction-free: getting your passport and your fingerprints in the right place in an approved manner is far from intuitive. But what was more disturbing was the on-screen interrogation. Passengers are asked:

For the last of these, the Czechs want you to have a daily minimum of €66 (£57) in cash or a credit or debit card. But you will be asked if you have travel insurance. And that’s exactly the issue reader Richard Markson contacted me about.

“Some websites say that proof of travel insurance may be requested when traveling to EU countries,” they wrote. “Is that so?”

Yes and no. It’s complicated.

The much-delayed introduction of the EES is completely different from the conditions a UK traveler must meet when entering the Schengen Area. They haven’t changed. So why has there suddenly been a concern that proof of travel insurance might be demanded? It all has to do with the way the entry-exit system is deployed by each Member State. When setting up the kiosk – the country may choose to add so-called “Schengen questions” to the screen. These are requirements that, in principle, apply to every third country citizen.

The basic demands of Schengen are that you have enough money available to support yourself, and either a ticket out of the area after a short trip or the means to buy a ticket. Each Member State can set the amount of money they want to see, and add their own additional conditions for travelers entering the Schengen Area through their borders.

The French would theoretically like to see “an insurance certificate covering all medical and hospital expenses for which you may be liable for the period of your stay in France, as well as medical repatriation costs and expenses in the event of death”. But until the entry-exit system, British travelers were never asked for proof of cover.

I was quite surprised when the EES kiosk at the Eurostar terminal, London St Pancras International, was programmed with a question about medical insurance. But only 48 hours have passed since the entry-exit system was implemented. Eurostar’s Simon Lejeune tells me the demand has been removed from the on-screen questionThe Port of Dover has also dropped the demand. Theoretically the French could reinstate the questions after the roll-out is complete next April, but I’m sure they won’t.

So why the sudden interest from foreign governments about available funds and insurance cover? It appears that officials at various interior ministries across Europe decided to follow the letter of the law when writing questions – rather than asking frontline officials what actually happens.

These “third country national” questions are aimed primarily at visitors from less wealthy countries rather than British weekenders. since BrexitBorder guards should investigate. Occasionally a Dutch or German border official will occasionally ask for proof of ticketing out, but nothing more.

As Dr. Nick Brown, a data expert who knows much more about the EES than I do, says: “Most of the questions relate to entry criteria that are checked quite rigorously at the consulate when people who need a visa apply for one. They are formally required for everyone, but there is no way a border officer can meaningfully verify them in real time.

“For example, someone coming from an LMIC [low- and middle-income country] They must show that they have X amount of convertible currency in their bank account.

“Visa-exempt Britons will not be asked to bring the current account and Cash ISA balance that supports their debit card.”

At Prague Airport, I suspect that many uninsured arrivals will incorrectly answer “yes” to the travel insurance question – especially on stag and hen adventures. The irony is that these are potentially the very people who may need the cover the most.

Simon Calder, also known as The Man Who Pays His Way, has been writing about travel for The Independent since 1994. In his weekly opinion column, he explores a major travel issue – and what it means for you.