Frontex unveils ‘passport in your pocket’ app to dodge border queues – but will it fly?Credit: Zephyr_p, Shutterstock
Europe’s EES ‘passport in your pocket’ starts, letting non-EU travellers upload passport details and selfies before even landing.
Europe’s going digital with Frontex’s new Travel to Europe app, letting non-EU travellers upload passport details and selfies before even landing. The aim? To dodge autumn’s dreaded Entry/Exit System (EES) queues by speeding up border checks.
Dubbed Travel to Europe, the app is being hailed as a potential game-changer for non-EU jet-setters bracing for the autumn launch of the EU’s controversial Entry/Exit System (EES) – a scheme critics say could cause border chaos with longer queues and more checks.
So what’s the app’s magic trick? Simple: it lets travellers upload their passport details and mugshot before they even set foot in Europe. That means most of the info border guards would usually have to painstakingly tap into the EES system at passport control can be sent ahead of time. Result? In theory, faster checks, happier travellers, and – authorities hope – less risk of chaos at airports.
But don’t throw your passport in the bin just yet. The agency insists the app won’t replace border checks altogether – it’s designed to make them “smoother and faster”, not disappear entirely. In other words, it’s like swapping a horse and cart for a sports car, but you still need to show up for the ride.
Sweden leads Frontex app rollout as Europe prepares digital border revolution: Netherlands, France, and Italy to follow
The rollout kicks off later this year with the first confirmed launch at Sweden’s Arlanda Airport – handy for anyone planning a Nordic adventure. By 2026, pilots will also take off in major entry points in the Netherlands, France and Italy, according to Frontex. Meanwhile, Portugal, Greece and Hungary have thrown their hats in the ring, expressing keen interest in joining the digital border revolution.
“The app is ready to be used with the start of the EES in the coming autumn,” a Frontex spokesperson confirmed, adding that it’s completely voluntary for both member states and travellers.
So, could the Travel to Europe app be the secret sauce that saves Europe’s borders from the dreaded EES queues?
Or will it crash on take-off when thousands try to download it at once?
Europe’s borders are about to get a high-tech makeover – and it’s happening sooner than you think.
New ETIAS and EES rules for Asian travellers: Europe tightens border checks in 2025
Meanwhile, Asian travellers should buckle up for a brave new border world: starting late 2025, Singaporean and Malaysian citizens — who previously breezed into Europe visa-free — will need to apply online for an ETIAS travel authorisation before hopping on a flight to the EU. It’s not a visa, but it is an extra hoop to jump through, requiring personal info and travel history details before departure. And for Thai, Indonesian, Vietnamese, Filipino and other Asian nationals who already need a Schengen visa, nothing changes on that front — but from October, they too will face the EES’s digital dragnet, with every face scan and fingerprint logged instead of the trusty old passport stamp. Europe’s message is crystal clear: whether you’re visa-free or visa-tied, the days of casual strolls through passport control are numbered.
High-tech takeover: Europe ditches passport stamps for face scans in 2025 border shake-up
So there you have it: Europe’s borders are going full sci-fi! With Frontex’s Travel to Europe app poised to turbocharge EES checks from this autumn, and ETIAS approvals looming for Singaporean and Malaysian jet-setters, the days of breezing through passport control are officially numbered. Thai, Indonesian, Vietnamese and Filipino travellers will still need Schengen visas but can wave goodbye to stamps as face scans and fingerprints take over. The phased rollout aims to sidestep border chaos, but one thing’s clear: Europe’s turning the page on old-school queues — and high-tech checks are the new normal across the Schengen frontier.
Get more technology news.
More travel news.
More European news.
