New airport rules

Fingerprints and photos against social fraud

The high-tech border controls have already been installed: As early as this autumn, the message for travelers from third countries at Vienna Airport will be: "Hands on!" This is also intended to catch asylum fraudsters.(Bild: Flughafen Wien)

In future, every border crossing will leave a digital fingerprint: the new hypermodern control system for all third-country nationals and non-EU citizens heralds the end of the usual stamp in passports. This should make asylum and social welfare fraud history.

Entry-Exit-System, or EES for short, is the new magic word in the fight against abuse: this ultra-modern technology will replace the previous stamping of passports at airports and replace it with complete digital registration. And in just two weeks' time.

"This will be a real game changer," assures Airport Director Günther Ofner. "We are talking about a technology that will not only massively improve security, but also efficiency. In future, every entry and exit process will be documented, verifiable and traceable." The systems for this have already been installed in Schwechat and will go into operation on October 12.

There will initially be a six-month trial phase, after which every border crossing will be recorded 100 percent.

The high-tech border controls have already been installed: This autumn, the message at Vienna Airport for travelers from third countries will be: "Hands on!" The aim is also to catch asylum fraudsters.(Bild: Flughafen Wien)

The new system is a further important step towards effective border control in order to increase the search pressure.

ÖVP Innenminister Gerhard Karner

Bild: Eva Manhart

End to illegal home leave for asylum seekers
Further advantages: The automated gates will shorten waiting times, and identity fraud and visa overstays will be exposed immediately in future. New doors will also open in the fight against social fraud. For example, anyone who is registered as an asylum seeker in Austria but secretly travels abroad illegally on home leave and continues to collect benefits has often gone undetected until now. The new digital checks will put an end to this.

However, nothing will change for EU citizens, who will travel as usual with a passport or ID card. On the other hand, a new era is beginning for visitors from countries such as the USA, UK or Turkey. In future, every border crossing will leave a digital footprint. "This will give the Schengen borders a memory," says Ofner. This will help to raise transparency and security to a whole new level.