Automated Border Control Kiosks at Busy Border Crossing

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Schengen area comprises 26 European states that have officially abolished all passport and all other types of border control, among them Italy, France, Germany, etc.. Iceland has become the first Schengen member country with automated kiosk-based border control solution. 

Travelers that land at the Keflavik International Airport (KEF) in Iceland will go through four BorderXpress kiosks that will register data on entry, exit, and refusal of entry of third-country nationals crossing the external borders of all member states via a central system, as a part of a 6-month pilot project.

The BorderXpress kiosks have been introduced in a bid to simulate the impending requirements of the Entry/Exit System (EES) created by the Schengen members.

The technology collects and enrolls biometric data for identity verification. It can authenticate travel documents and is capable of retrieving travel information from QR and 2D barcodes.

Kiosk-based solutions can play a critical role in helping Schengen member states effectively fulfill the new security and data collection requirements outlined by the European Commission, according to schengenvisainfo.com.

All EU and non-EU travelers will need to go through these kiosks, once they arrive at the KEF. Every traveler can select their language at the kiosk, answer a few questions, and scan their documents. The kiosk will capture an image of their face, and then issue a receipt. The receipt, which proves that the border control procedure has been completed, must be taken to a border services authority.

The Keflavik International Airport is the largest border crossing point in the country. It is estimated that over 95% of the passengers that enter the Schengen area through Iceland, come through this airport.

If the pilot program turns out to be successful, all member states will soon be implementing the technology.