Will new biometric controls require proof of funds for France visit?
Visitors to the EU will be required to answer questions about travel plans within the bloc
Information such as passport data and purpose of stay will soon need to be collected under the new EES controls on non-EU visitors coming to the Schengen area
Frame Stock Footage / Shutterstock
Reader Question: I am British. Will I need to show my bank statements to enter the EU after the new border checks come in?
Incoming border security programmes at the EU mean biometric checks will be required for first entry to the bloc, as part of the Entry/Exit System (EES).
Read more: New European Entry/Exit System: 9 key things to know in advance
Digital terminals and kiosks are being installed at entry points across the bloc (including those entry points controlled by French customs in the UK) to collect this information.
One of the publicised changes is the requirement to answer questions about your travel plans within the bloc.
Border guards can currently ask these questions, but due to the volume of visitors usually they do not.
Now, however, there is a possibility that all visitors will need to answer these questions, as they may be asked at the digital kiosks.
Read more: Biometric border checks: what questions will be asked to enter France?
One of the questions which may be asked is indeed if you have enough money to cover your trip.
Britons are expected to have around €120 per day of the duration of their trip (less if staying at somebody’s house free of charge) according to the UK government.
However this is currently very rarely asked for; we do not know of any examples where a Briton has needed to prove this.
It is possible that the questions asked at the EES kiosks will require a simple ‘tick’. The border guard can then review and check the information if required.
If asked for proof of funds the French visas website states that the following are acceptable:
It is considered unlikely that this will be required.
