Entry/Exit System

The Entry/Exit System (EES) is a system of the European Union for the automatic electronic monitoring and recording of border crossings of third-country nationals (non-EU/EEA/Swiss citizens) at all border crossings of the Schengen Area. The system, being operated by eu-LISA, is operational at some Schengen Area border checkpoints and will be operational at all Schengen Area border checkpoints by 10 April 2026, after which passport stamps will no longer be used upon entering or exiting the Schengen Area.^[1][2] The system stores information including name, date of birth, fingerprints and biometrics for a facial recognition system, and locations and times of border crossings in a database of the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS).^[2]

Entry/Exit System

Map of the Schengen Area   Schengen Area   Countries with open borders to the Schengen area   Future Schengen Area
Policy of	European Union
Type	Electronic system for border management
Start of implementation	12 October 2025
Complete implementation	10 April 2026
Applicable countries	29 states  Austria  Belgium  Bulgaria  Croatia  Czech Republic  Denmark  Estonia  Finland  France  Germany  Greece  Hungary  Iceland  Italy  Latvia  Liechtenstein  Lithuania  Luxembourg  Malta  Netherlands  Norway  Poland  Portugal  Romania  Slovakia  Slovenia  Spain  Sweden  Switzerland
Website	travel-europe.europa.eu/ees

Exemptions

The Entry/Exit system does not apply to the following classes of individuals:^[3]

• Citizens of the following countries and regions: (dual citizens require a valid European passport or national identity card)
  • European Union
  • EFTA
  • Andorra
  • San Marino
  • Monaco
  • Holy See
• Foreign citizens holding a:
  • Residence permit or a residence card issued by an EU or Schengen country (including British beneficiaries of the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement)
  • Long-stay schengen visa
  • Valid local border traffic permit

The border process

The first time a traveler passes through the new EES system, they will need to provide a few personal details. A passport officer will take a picture of the individual’s face and/or scan their fingerprints. In some cases, travelers have the ability to register this information in advance, through a self-service system at specific border entry points, or through a mobile application called Travel to Europe, if it is available for your country of arrival/departure.

After a traveler has passed through EES for the first time and their data has been recorded, an agent will simply verify their identity for all subsequent entries. At some border crossing points, self-service kiosks will be available for those who have already passed through EES once before and hold biometric passports.

European Union Regulations

• Regulation (EU) 2017/2226 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 November 2017 establishing an Entry/Exit System (EES) to register entry and exit data and refusal of entry data of third-country nationals crossing the external borders of the Member States and determining the conditions for access to the EES for law enforcement purposes, and amending the Convention implementing the Schengen Agreement and Regulations (EC) No 767/2008 and (EU) No 1077/2011 (OJ L 327, 9 December 2017, p. 20)
• Regulation (EU) 2017/2225 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 November 2017 amending Regulation (EU) 2016/399 as regards the use of the Entry/Exit System (OJ L 327, 9 December 2017, p. 1)