Europe could start taking prints of foreign travelers

The European Commission will propose Wednesday that all foreign travelers into and out of Europe, including U.S. citizens, should be fingerprinted.

The United States and Japan already require that foreigners be fingerprinted and photographed before they can enter the country.

European security officials want travelers to be fingerprinted and some to have a facial image stored in a Europe-wide database, according to a copy of the proposal.

The plan would need the approval of the European Parliament.

The timing and logistics of the program remain uncertain, but it would probably not start for at least another year.

The fingerprints would probably be taken upon arrival and then checked against a database, an official said.