Will Ukrainians have to pay for entry to the EU from November: explanation by MFA.

From November 10, 2024, an automated IT system Entry Exit System will start functioning in 29 European countries, registering citizens of third countries making short-term trips to the EU. This was reported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

It is noted that the new entry procedure also concerns Ukrainian citizens. However, no additional fees or complications are currently envisaged upon entry. The visa-free regime for Ukrainian citizens to EU and Schengen zone member countries remains unchanged.

The system will be implemented in countries such as Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.

As part of the innovations, the system will collect passport data, date and place of entry and exit, facial image, and fingerprints at each crossing of the Schengen zone border. The system will also record cases of entry refusals.

EU border guards will no longer stamp passports on entry and exit from the Schengen zone. This information will be stored in the system automatically.

To simplify the collection of biometric data at border checkpoints, self-service terminals are planned to be installed. A new online service in the EES system will also be available, replacing the Schengen calculator and allowing travelers to find out how many unused days of stay in the Schengen zone they have left.

We remind you that from 2024, new entry rules to EU countries come into force, requiring a special travel authorization (ETIAS), as reported on the EU website. This authorization applies to visa-free travelers entering any of the 30 EU countries and allows staying in any of these countries for 90 days. The travel authorization will be valid for three years or until the passport used in the application expires.