The system applies to citizens of countries outside the EU. On their first entry, travelers will provide fingerprints and a facial image, which will be stored digitally. Each future trip will then be recorded automatically through biometric checks, removing the need for passport stamps.
EU citizens, including Croatians, are not affected and will continue to cross borders without any additional checks.
For the Adria region, the change will be most visible at Croatia’s borders with Bosnia and Herzegovina, where the system is expected to reduce fraud and overstays but could initially cause longer waiting times as travelers and border staff adapt.