Azorcan Tours Podcast

Bryn: 00:11

Hey, everybody, and welcome to the Azorcan Tours Podcast. I'm Bryn Griffiths. Paul Almeida joins us. Hello, Paul. How are

Paul: 00:16

you doing? Good, Bryn. How are doing?

Bryn: 00:18

Great. Okay. Let's get right to it. What is the European entry exit system all about? Well, if you're a

Paul: 00:24

Canadian and planning a trip to Europe, the way Canadians enter Europe is changing. Not in a dramatic or scary way, but enough that you should know what's coming before you head to the airport. Today we're talking about biometrics and the new European border systems and what they mean specifically for Canadians.

Bryn: 00:41

Okay, so what are the basics that we have

Paul: 00:42

to know about this? Well biometrics just means physical features used to confirm identity. At the border this usually means two things: a photo of your face and your fingerprints. That's it. No medical data, no DNA, just a camera and a fingerprint scanner.

Paul: 01:01

Now, here's what's changing. The European Union has introduced a new digital border tracking system called the Entry Exit System or EES. In the past, when Canadians arrived in Europe, a border officer would just simply stamp your passport and the stamp would show the day that you entered into Europe. When you left, you got another stamp showing when left Europe. Simple.

Bryn: 01:26

Okay.

Paul: 01:27

Now, instead of ink stamps, your entry and exit will be recorded electronically. So that means when you land in countries that are part of the Schengen Area, your passport will be scanned, you'll likely have to take your photo, you may be asked to place your fingers on a scanner for a few seconds. The system records the exact date and location of your entry. From that point on, your stay is digitally tracked.

Bryn: 01:54

We fly through Amsterdam a lot and they've been tinkering with this idea, right?

Paul: 01:59

Yeah. They're slowly introducing this stuff. Because Canadians can travel visa free to most parts of Europe but only for short stays, this means ninety days within a one hundred and eighty day period in the Schengen Area. And here's where people get tripped up. Okay.

Paul: 02:16

It's not ninety days per country, It's ninety days total across all Schengen countries combined. So if you spent, for example, thirty days in Czechia, thirty days in Italy, thirty days in Portugal, that's your full ninety days used up.

Bryn: 02:31

Okay.

Paul: 02:32

And the one hundred and eighty day clock is rolling. It's not calendar based. So it's from the first time you enter, you've got one hundred and eighty days where you can stay ninety days.

Bryn: 02:42

So does this ever reset at any point? Like, you're talking about not calendar based. How, how does this work?

Paul: 02:48

As soon as that first one hundred and eighty days are over, it resets again. Okay. So in the past, people tried to calculate this manually. Yes. And some guessed at approximately what dates it was.

Paul: 02:59

Some relied on the passport stamps that weren't always clear. Now the computers do the counting. If you overstay, even by accident, the system's going to know automatically. And overstaying can lead to fines, entry bans, or issues returning back to Europe in the future. So tracking your days really matters now.

Bryn: 03:18

Okay Paul, what happens when EES starts and what is that by the way?

Paul: 03:22

Well, right now Canadians do not need a visa for short tourist or business trips to most of Europe.

Bryn: 03:28

Okay.

Paul: 03:28

But soon Canadians will need to apply online for EES before travelling. Think of EDIAS like Europe's version of an electronic travel authorization, similar to Canada's ETA that Europeans need to enter Canada. It's not a visa it's a quick online pre screening. You'll fill out a short application online, answer background questions and pay a small fee. Alright.

Paul: 03:53

In most cases, it gets approved electronically within minutes or a couple hours. Your approval then is linked electronically to your passport So that when you arrive in Europe, the biometric system connects your passport, your ETS approval, your photo and your fingerprints.

Bryn: 04:10

That seems pretty simple to me.

Paul: 04:12

Everything matches up digitally.

Bryn: 04:14

Okay.

Paul: 04:14

If you don't have ATS once it becomes mandatory, airlines won't even allow you to board the flight. So this is something Canadians will need to handle before leaving.

Bryn: 04:22

But once you've done it, you're kinda it just it rolls. I love it. I think that's fantastic. Okay. So what might this look like when you arrive?

Paul: 04:30

Well, let's say you land in Paris, Rome, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, wherever your first European stop is. Yeah. You go to passport control like normal. But instead of handing over your passport, you might use a self-service kiosk first.

Bryn: 04:43

Alright.

Paul: 04:44

You scan your passport, look at the camera, place your fingerprints on the scanner. The system verifies your identity, logs your entry. In some airports, they even have automatic gates that may open once you're cleared. In others, a border officer may still ask a couple of questions, how long you're staying, where you're headed, that sort of thing. It may feel new for the first time, but honestly, it's really quick.

Bryn: 05:10

Okay. So you mentioned fingerprints. You mentioned having your face scanned, that type of thing. So I I've heard this a lot from people. They say, okay.

Bryn: 05:18

So what about privacy of information?

Paul: 05:21

Well, Europe operates under a very strict list of privacy laws, including the General Data Protection Regulation, also known as the GDPR. These laws regulate how personal data, including biometric data, is stored and protected. The information collected at the border is used for immigration control and security. It's stored securely and kept only as long as legally required. It's not publicly accessible, it's not used for marketing, and it's governed by very strict rules.

Bryn: 05:54

Now this is is not unusual for Europe.

Paul: 05:58

Right? No. Not really. Canada collects biometric data from many visa applicants. The United States fingerprints many foreign visitors.

Paul: 06:05

The UK uses facial recognition e gates. Right. Europe is simply modernizing and standardizing its system across its member countries.

Bryn: 06:15

Got it. Okay. So let's let's start to break this down a little bit here. What what do Canadians have to do before they head over to Europe then? A simple checklist, Bryn.

Paul: 06:23

Okay. First, check your passport. Make sure it's valid for at least three months beyond your planned departure from Europe. It must be a biometric passport, which all modern Canadian passports already have. Right.

Paul: 06:34

Secondly, watch for your ATS requirements. Once fully implemented, apply online before your trip. Third, track your days. As I mentioned before, ninety days total within one hundred and eighty days across the entire Schengen area. That's what you're allowed to stay.

Paul: 06:51

Yes. And fourth, don't stress about the biometrics. It takes seconds. It's routine. It shouldn't be

Bryn: 06:58

a problem. I always hear people say, I'm worried about the person behind me because I'm not used to using this kind of equipment, that kind of thing. And I just tell people, just chill. Just relax. You'll get through it.

Bryn: 07:09

The next time you come through it, it'll be half that time. It's it just it's something new is always it's nerve racking for people. Okay. That's right. So so let's, let's start to talk now about Canadian European snowbirds.

Paul: 07:22

Yeah. If you're planning a stay in Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, the ninety day rule applies strictly unless you have a national long stay visa from that specific country. So the new system makes overstays much harder to overlook because as I mentioned, Bryn, they track you when you come in, it tracks you automatically when you're leaving. So if you plan on spending four straight months in Europe, you need to explore visa options ahead of time. That's 100.

Paul: 07:50

But overall, for the average Canadian tourist going for two or three weeks, you probably won't notice much of a difference before looking at the camera, placing your fingers on a scanner. Europe's not closing its doors to Canadians. It's just digitizing the front desk.

Bryn: 08:04

Okay. So what's the key takeaway here? What what do we there's gotta be some simple way of summing this up. Well, the most important thing

Paul: 08:11

is to plan ahead. Okay. Apply for your ATS once it's required. Know your ninety days when you go in, when you come out, and enjoy your trip. Because once you're past passport control, it's still the same Europe.

Paul: 08:24

The food, the history, the culture, the cafes, the coastlines, nothing changes, only how your arrival gets recorded.

Bryn: 08:32

And it's safer for everybody.

Paul: 08:33

And it's safer for everybody.

Bryn: 08:34

Right. Okay. Let's, let's talk about how people can track you down. Let's talk about the website.

Paul: 08:39

Azorcan Tours is available at azorcan.net.

Bryn: 08:43

Your priority list. Everybody loves that.

Paul: 08:46

Yeah. Well, you know, you get on the priority list on the website. It gives you tour announcements, priorities to to book tours that become available. And it also we send out updates on tours and destinations and those sort of things. The other thing that's good for people to follow is our Facebook page at Azorcan Tours, and we've had a huge spike in Facebook page registrations because there, you instantly get our tour announcements, you get destination information, and you can also follow us when we're on a tour.

Paul: 09:17

We post every day when we're on a tour.

Bryn: 09:19

Hey. Can we talk about the podcast for a moment, which is what we're doing? Some people listen to us casually. What about subscribing regularly? That way you never miss an episode.

Paul: 09:28

That's right. And we are gonna keep adding more and more episodes to help you with your travel, planning Yeah. And a little bit about some of the destinations, tips, those sort of things. So it's gonna be a great resource for our travelers.

Bryn: 09:41

So there you go. We hope we helped you with this particular episode, which was what is the European entry exit system? I'm Brent Griffith. East Palo Alto.

Paul: 09:50

Thanks for listening.