24 October 2020: SITA recently released a Positioning Paper detailing its latest generation of smart border solutions to facilitate the implementation of the new European Union Schengen Zone border controls planned for 2022. This new TS6 Automated Border Control (ABC) Kiosks have been developed to accommodate future upgrades and changing requirements, such as the use of new biometric capture devices or the introduction of a printer to provide receipts to travellers.
The new EU Entry-Exit System (EES) is designed to ensure robust and consistent checks on travellers along the entirety of Europe’s external borders. It uses the biometric data captured at its ABC kiosks to expedite processing at the ABC gates, reducing congestion and improving passenger flow while providing high-quality data to governments and border agencies.
Jeremy Springall, Vice-President Border Management SITA said, “The introduction of EES will bring significant benefits but also presents operational challenges for EU member states to achieve smooth and effective border processes. Maximizing the value delivered by the introduction of EES requires an approach that goes beyond the initial acquisition of gates, kiosks, and biometric devices. Member states now have a unique opportunity to positively transform their border operations through the intelligent integration of new and existing border management systems.”
With SITA Border solutions in place, arriving travellers in the Schengen Zone will be able to confirm their registration in the Central EES system at the kiosk, update their travel record with any new travel document or visa details, confirm their biometric data and make declarations specific to their journey. The biometric data can then be used to identify the traveller at the ABC gate enabling them to proceed directly through the gate by facial recognition alone. This innovative approach is expected to significantly improve processing times at border crossing points for arrivals compared to traditional processing.
