Operational assessment of a border management mobile app for traveller pre-registration

This paper presents the results of the App4EES pilot project, which developed and assessed a mobile app solution for the pre-registration of biometric and biographic data to improve the border crossing efficiency under the Entry/Exit System (EES) in the European Union. The project involved a real operational testing of the app at Stockholm Arlanda Airport, with over 1,600 travellers successfully completing the enrolment steps and providing valuable feedback. The results show that the app is effective in improving the efficiency of the border crossing process, ensuring compliance with data protection and cybersecurity standards, and providing a positive user experience. The app was designed to be intuitive and user-friendly, allowing travellers to easily pre-register their biometric and biographic data, including facial images and travel documents. To highlight the outcomes, this paper presents the first open and detailed evaluation of a traveller pre-registration system tested in real operational conditions with a high number of participants. The app demonstrated an average reduction of 30 seconds in border processing times for visa-exempt travellers, corresponding to a 25% improvement in overall efficiency compared to standard EES test procedures. Furthermore, the system effectively supported multi-traveller and family registrations, including minors, demonstrating its capacity to streamline pre-registration for diverse traveller profiles. The project outcomes have significant implications for the development of future border management systems, as they demonstrate the potential of mobile app solutions to enhance border crossing efficiency, improve user experience, and ensure data protection and cybersecurity. The project results also highlight the feasibility of integrating a mobile app solution with existing border management systems, including the EES, as well as the need for close collaboration between stakeholders, including border authorities, airlines, and technology providers.