The European Union has launched its automated border checks for non-EU travelers entering the Schengen open-borders zone, starting this Sunday. This long-delayed system requires visitors to be photographed and fingerprinted, replacing manual passport stamps and aiming for improved information-sharing among member states.

• The system's goal is to replace manual stamps and enhance information-sharing among the 27 EU states, detecting overstayers and those refused entry.
• Non-EU nationals arriving for short stays in EU countries (except Cyprus and Ireland), plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland, will be subject to these checks.
• The UK border and its citizens, no longer part of the EU, will also face these new checks, with warnings of a few extra minutes wait per passenger.