European Union to implement Entry/Exit System, check how it impacts your Schengen visa travel

After several delays and years of preparation, the European Union’s long-anticipated Entry/Exit System (EES) is finally set to come into effect on October 12. The system, which will apply across the Schengen Area, introduces a new method of tracking the movement of non-EU travellers entering and leaving the bloc by collecting biometric and personal data at border crossings.

While the regulations governing who can enter the EU and how long they can stay remain unchanged, the new digital system will modernise how this information is recorded and verified. Designed to strengthen border security and prevent overstays, the Entry/Exit System will monitor travel patterns of third-country nationals, those who are not citizens of EU member states.

Visitors entering the Schengen Zone, which includes 27 EU countries (excluding Ireland and Cyprus Switzerland, Norway, and Iceland), will now be required to register their fingerprints and facial image the first time they arrive. This information, along with passport details, entry and exit points, and travel plans, will be stored in a centralised database for three years.

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The process begins with travellers providing their biometric data at self-service kiosks installed at major airports, seaports, and land border crossings. On future trips, their identity will be verified against these records, potentially speeding up border checks for frequent travellers. Those holding biometric passports and passing through e-gates may experience quicker processing times once their initial registration is completed.

Implementation of the system will not be immediate across all borders. Each participating country will determine how and where it will roll out the system, although at least one entry point per nation must be operational from the start date, CNN reported. Member states are required to gradually scale up registration, starting with 10% of travellers within 30 days and reaching full coverage by April 9, 2026.

During the transition period, passports will continue to be stamped, even for those processed under EES, as not all border crossings will have the system completely in place. Once the rollout is complete, physical passport stamps will be phased out in favour of digital tracking.

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Children under the age of 12 will be exempt from providing fingerprints but will need to go through the registration process. EU citizens and legal residents, whose biometric data are already on record, will not need to register. British citizens, however, will be required to participate in the system due to their classification as third-country nationals post-Brexit, unless they are residents of an EU country or covered by the Withdrawal Agreement.