France, Oct. 12 -- Major changes to how non-EU citizens - including UK travellers - enter and exit Europe's Schengen Area began on Sunday, as the European Union launched its long-delayed Entry/Exit System.

The Entry/Exit System (EES) requires all non-EU citizens to register their personal details, including fingerprints and facial images, when they first enter the Schengen area - which comprises all EU nations, apart from Ireland and Cyprus, plus Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and Liechtenstein.

The new electronic system removes the requirement to manually stamp passports at the EU's external border and instead creates digital records that link a travel document to a person's identity using biometrics.

It will be applied on arrival at ai...