This is a new registration system for third-country nationals arriving in Austria by plane, explained Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP) at a press conference at Vienna-Schwechat Airport. Their data will be recorded upon entry and exit. Karner expects the new system to provide more security for Austria and all of Europe.

Passport, Fingerprints, Facial Image

The passport, fingerprints, and facial image will be scanned, and the place and time of entry as well as information about the visa and any entry refusals will be recorded, explained the responsible group leader in the Ministry of the Interior, Elisabeth Wenger-Donig. The data may be stored for three years or for five years if an entry refusal has occurred. All persons from third countries are recorded, regardless of whether they are visa-free or require a visa. There are no changes for Austrians. The stamping of passports is now a thing of the past, with biometric data collection being the new rule.

With the new system, document fraud and overstaying the maximum duration of stay can be more easily detected, said the Director General for Public Security, Franz Ruf. In the last six months, there have been 292 rejections of persons at Vienna Airport, with 93 cases of document forgery and 31 cases of visa fraud detected. The Entry-Exit System is also a significant part of the EU Asylum Pact, which comes into force on June 12, said Karner.

The pilot operation, which started six months ago, was "highly successful," the Interior Minister was pleased to report. Since March 30 - earlier than planned - 100 percent of entries by third-country nationals have been processed through the new system. Since October 12, 2025, over one million people have been recorded in Austria through the system - most of them, 730,000, at Vienna Airport.

"Some Concerns" at the Start

Vienna Airport board member Günther Ofner is also satisfied. Austria is one of the model students in the introduction. Although they started "with some concerns," everything worked very well. Waiting times have so far been limited - 96 percent of people waited less than five minutes. At the booths, travelers currently need just over 70 seconds, Ruf recounted.

The executive has also significantly increased the number of personnel, said Ofner. He expects more passengers to be checked in the summer. However, there are emergency mechanisms that can be triggered if necessary.

(APA/Red)

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