Later this year, a major change is coming to border control across the Schengen-area EU countries: the new European Union Entry/Exit System (EES). As a travel company, we want to ensure all our members are fully informed so their journeys continue smoothly. Below is what you need to know.
What is the European Union Entry/Exit System (EES)?
The EES is an automated digital border-control system designed to register non-EU (third-country) nationals whenever they enter or exit Schengen’s external borders. It will replace the manual stamping of passports, improve the tracking of short stays, and help detect overstays while strengthening overall border security.
The system is expected to roll out from October 2025, with full implementation anticipated by April 2026. Once fully operational, passport stamping will become a thing of the past, replaced by digital records of entry and exit.
Who Does EES Affect?
The new system applies to non-EU nationals who are travelling for a short stay (up to 90 days in any 180-day period) within the Schengen Area. This includes travellers who are visa-exempt and those holding a short-stay (Schengen) visa.
Those who hold an EU passport, are citizens of EFTA states, or possess a residence permit or long-stay visa are not affected. For our UK-based members, this means the EES will apply whenever travelling to Schengen countries for short stays such as holidays, business trips, or visiting family.
How EES Works: What Travellers Must Do
- First Visit under EES at a Border Checkpoint
- When crossing into the Schengen Area for the first time after the system launches, travellers will need to:
- Present their passport for scanning
- Provide biometric data: a facial image and, for those aged 12 and over, fingerprints
- Confirm or provide basic travel details
- This information will be securely stored in the EES database for three years.
2. Subsequent Visit (within 3 years, same passport)
For future trips during that period, the process will be faster. You’ll usually just need to present your passport and perhaps a quick facial scan, without re-submitting fingerprints. If you renew your passport, you’ll need to register again.
3. Rollout and Transition
As EES is introduced gradually, not every border crossing will require biometric registration immediately. Some borders may temporarily continue passport stamping alongside digital registration during the transition period.
Travellers don’t need to pre-register before travelling — the process happens at the border itself.
Other Considerations for Our Members
- Expect longer queues initially: Border checks may take slightly longer at first as systems bed in and staff guide travellers through the new process.
- Data privacy: The EES is designed in line with EU data-protection laws. Only limited biometric and travel data will be stored securely.
- Passport changes: If you renew your passport, you’ll need to register again under the new number.
- Internal Schengen travel: Once you’re inside the Schengen Area, travel between member countries remains unaffected.
- Linked to ETIAS: The EES will work alongside the upcoming European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS), which will require some non-EU nationals to apply for travel authorisation before entering the Schengen Zone.
Final Thoughts
Our advice to all members planning trips after October 2025 is to arrive a little earlier at the airport or port, have your passport ready, and follow border staff instructions carefully. Once fully up and running, the EES should make travelling across Europe’s borders smoother, faster, and more secure — a modern upgrade to make travel safer and simpler for everyone.
For official advice, please visit https://travel-europe.europa.eu/en/ees.
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