Travel to Europe app for European Member States
The Entry/Exit System (EES) has been created to register third-country nationals, both short-stay visa holders and visa exempt travellers, each time they cross an EU external border. The system registers amongst other information the individual’s reason for travel, name, travel document, biometric data (fingerprints and captured facial images) and the date and place of entry and exit.
Frontex recently announced the arrival of the Travel to Europe app to support non-EU travellers pre-registering for EES before travelling to European destinations.
ReadID technology for efficient border procedures
Following market scanning and testing, Inverid was announced as the supplier for passport verification within the Travel to Europe app which uses Inverid’s solution ReadID. Inverid will also include facial matching, liveness and face quality checks via its long-time partner iProov.
The mobile Travel app allows non-EU travellers with valid biometric passports to voluntarily pre-register their travel document data and facial image for the Entry/Exit System (EES) through their smartphone before arriving at a border crossing point.
The purpose of the app, proven through a pilot project with Swedish authorities at Arlanda airport in 2024, is to reduce processing times at the border. This benefits border authorities and travellers alike. The app is not designed to replace border control procedures but aims to make them smoother and faster.
Frontex requests Member States contact them for implementation. Member States can also equip border control officers with ReadID as utilised in the “Travel to Europe” app from Inverid.
