In some airports, like Charles de Gaulle in Paris and Fiumicino in Rome, they are even allowed to use eGates upon landing, like they're Europeans.

Starting from November, however, they will be faced with additional bureaucracy:

Following years of deliberation, the Brussels-led bloc is finally reforming its border policy to meet the challenges of modern times, from security threats to irregular migration.

U.S. passport holders will not be exempt from further scrutiny when flying into the zone.

Starting from November 2024, if you're an American, you should expect to get fingerprinted and registered upon crossing the European border, and there's just no getting around it:

As confirmed by Ylva Johansson, the European Union Commissioner, the much-delayed Entry-Exit System (EES) of the European Union will launch on November 10 in an attempt to modernize the continent's borders and strengthen security.

The EES is hardly a novelty–we've been reporting on it extensively over the past three years–but this is the first time the EU commissioner herself has confirmed a start date following multiple setbacks.

In case you're still wondering what the EES entails, it refers to a biometric system that will use a traveler's digital photograph, personal information and fingerprints to control their border movements, as well as their length of stay.

In general, Americans can only remain in the continent, or more specifically, the 29-country Schengen Area for 90 days out of any 180-day period; this means any time spent in any participating country counts towards the established limit.

For example, if you're traveling long term and staying in Italy for a whole month, savoring your way through the southern Puglia region and going on a museum haul across the cultural hotspots of Florence and Rome, you'll then only have 60 days to travel around 28 other Schengen countries.