New requirements to travel to Europe

[DrRoy]

We were just told by Ireland that we need no visa to visit next year.

 

[brett]

The USA scans most visitors’ fingerprints on entry I believe. No big deal.

https://simpleflying.com/us-airports-fingerprints-guide/

We have had it done multiple times in various countries. Simple and very fast.

You place your finger tips on a small reader while the officer is reviewing your passport. It is a non event.

I went ahead of my spouse the last time we went through passport control in Bangkok. I was able to look back into the passport offiicer's cubicle and view the screen. I could see my spouse's passport pages on his screen. I could not read it. What I could tell was there was a lot more data on the the screen than there was on the basic passport information page and extended Thai visa.

Not certain what it was....perhaps a listing of the past times that she had been through passport control in various countries. I have to assume that other electronically connected countries have access to the same data when one presents a passport.

 

[sengsational]

Not concerned in the least. Just by swiping our passports and with their interaction, communication, and
co-ordination with other jurisdictions they will automatically have far more data about us that than ever will from our credit card.

But if you have a fake passport, now you have to align a payment method with the identity on the passport. If the "not concerned" of us have a bunch of data that includes all the passport tracking and biometrics plus a banking trail, and that looks a certain way, the bad guys will have a little harder time making the screen that comes up for the border control officer look "right". That's what I meant by "another form of ID."

 

[brett]

But if you have a fake passport, now you have to align a payment method with the identity on the passport. If the "not concerned" of us have a bunch of data that includes all the passport tracking and biometrics plus a banking trail, and that looks a certain way, the bad guys will have a little harder time making the screen that comes up for the border control officer look "right". That's what I meant by "another form of ID."

It is of no consequence to us. Our view is simple. When we are guests in a country we have to conform to their entry regulations, their laws.

We either show our passport or we are not admitted as a guest. Simple as that. Same for Visa requirements in a number of countries we regularly visit.

What is the choice? Fret over a minute possibility, stay home and not travel, or continue to travel and enjoy other countries in the manner that we do.

 

[brett]

I read today that it is on hold until 2025. Technical issues.