Within the framework of an agreement concluded between Hermes Airports Ltd and the Government of the Republic of Cyprus, in July 2018, BorderXpress Interactive Kiosks, which are a type of Automatic Electronic Gates (Automated Border Control Systems - ABC), were installed at the two international airports of Cyprus.

It is an advanced technology, used in the management of passenger traffic and contributes to the improvement of the service and speeds up passport control of passengers.

Through this innovative service, the passenger is given the possibility to carry out an automated individual passport control as a first level check. A basic condition for the use of an Borderxpress Interactive Kiosk is that the travel document held by the passenger (passport or identity card), biometric or not, must contain a Machine-Readable Zone (MRZ).

Upon the completion of the control process, a receipt is printed, where, among other passenger details, a corresponding marking is included, as to the result of the control.

The passenger receives the receipt, which, during the second level check, he/she will have to present along with valid travel document, to a border guard. This receipt is destroyed within a specified period of time.

Currently, the BorderXpress Interactive Kiosks, in the arrivals and departures area, can be used by:

- citizens of the European Union (EU),
- citizens of the European Economic Area (EEA),
- nationals of Third Countries, for whom a visa on arrival is not required in the Republic of Cyprus.

By placing the travel document on the Interactive Kiosk, the validity and security features of the travel document are checked.

Additionally, the passenger's details are compared, in the context of passport control, with the relevant Databases of the Civil Registry and Immigration Department, of the Police, as well as other International or European Databases, such as the STOP LIST, Schengen Information System (SIS), INTERPOL, etc.

For passengers over 14 years of age, a photo of the face is taken at the given moment at the Interactive Kiosk, and in the case of a biometric travel document, the photo is identified with the image stored in the microcircuit of the biometric travel document, through a special software.

In case of a positive indication in any of the aforementioned controls, the passenger is taken for further checks at the passport control counters. Among other things, wanted persons, illegal immigrants, etc. may be identified, through the checks carried out.

The procedure is carried out in compliance with the provisions of the relevant legislation:

(a) Regulation (EU) 2016/399 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 9 March 2016 on a Union Code on the rules governing the movement of persons across borders (Schengen Borders Code) (CHAPTER II - Control of external borders and refusal of entry)

(b) Aliens and Immigration Law (Cap. 105),

(c) Law on the Right of Citizens of the Union and their Family Members to Move and Reside Freely in the Republic (Law 7(I)/2007).

The details of third country nationals are kept in the National Entry/Exit System, for a period of 50 years, unless there is a reason for further keeping.

The competent Authority for the operation of the BorderXpress Interactive Kiosks is the Department of Civil Registry and Migration Department. The Cyprus Police manages the BorderXpress Interactive Kiosks, as the Processor, on behalf of the Department of Population and Immigration Records (Controller).

Date modified:
September 2023

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