EES Europe: the new EU Entry/Exit System explained

If you’re planning a trip to Europe and you do not have an EU passport, you’ll go through a specific border crossing process called EES, short for the Entry/Exit System. On April 10, 2026, EES went fully operational, which meant the end of physical passport stamps for 29 European countries. Whether you’re arriving by plane, train, ferry, or something else, when you cross the border, you’ll encounter EES. 

This guide explains what the Entry/Exit System is, how it works, who is affected by it, and what it means for both Schengen visa holders and those who are visa-exempt. This guide also looks at the summer 2026 disruptions, the data that the system stores about you, and the questions that travelers ask most. 

Note: EES doesn't impact Schengen visa requirements (such as Schengen travel insurance). It does apply to Schengen visa holders, however.

Latest News & Updates on EES (Entry/Exit System)

What is the EES? The EU Entry/Exit System in brief

The EES (Entry/Exit System) is a digital border system and automated database managed by the European Union. The rollout began in October 2025 and finished on April 10, 2026. 

The system registers all entries and exits of non-EU nationals. This means it tracks when non-EU visitors enter the Schengen Area and when they leave, too. At every Schengen border crossing, EES tracks the passenger’s name, passport (travel document), facial image, and the time and place of the border crossing. Fingerprints are also collected and stored. 

This digital “stamp” replaces the physical passport one.

This new system is considered a big technological advancement for the EU, but, in truth, it isn’t a brand new project. The European Commission put forth a more formal idea in 2013 as part of the Smart Borders Package. That isn’t the first time it was presented, though. The idea of having automated, digitized entries and exits had been coming up in conversation for almost two decades. It took a bit of time to get EES off the ground and running, and there are still some technological hiccups today that are being ironed out. 

How does the EES work at the Schengen border?

If you haven’t traveled to Europe since EES’s rollout, you’ll need to register your information at the airport. It isn't something you have to be proactive about. Instead, it'll happen during the border process.

When you cross the border, a border official or an automated kiosk will photograph your face and take fingerprint scans. You’ll scan your passport, and your identity information will be digitally linked to your passport within their database. There isn’t any prep work you need to do ahead of time, and there is no cost or fee. Just follow the signs and directions at the border. 

The journey at the border looks like this.

• Present your passport to either the border officer or at a self-service kiosk, location depending. 
• Your facial image will be captured. 
• You’ll scan your fingerprints digitally (on the first visit only if you are visa-exempt).
• The system will check your details against the EES database (you don’t see this part)
• Your entry is logged and your remaining days are calculated, or an overstay alert is raised.

The system creates a new “file” for every traveler that passes through. It includes your full name, date of birth, nationality, and information listed on your passport photo page. The system also has identifying information like your facial image and fingerprints. In addition to all of this, every entry into the Zone and exit out of the Zone is tracked and recorded too, including the time and place of the border crossing(s). 

The first time you cross through EES, the border crossing takes a little bit longer. This is because your picture and fingerprints need to be collected. There is an official app called the Travel to Europe App that can help make the process smoother with a little bit of prep work, but it isn't available for most Schengen crossings at the moment.

After April 2026, airport and airline authorities reported increased waiting times and delays due to this data collection. The Airports Council International estimated that processing times rose by around 70 percent at some locations.

EES timeline: from the October 2025 launch to full operation in April 2026

EES didn’t just turn on overnight. There was a planned six-month rollout that started October 12, 2025. There was a 6-month phase-in that completed on April 10, 2026. This is when manual passport stamps en masse ended. 

As countries, airports, staff, and travelers adjust to the new system, there have been some temporary pauses of EES at specific border crossings. You may still receive a passport stamp or two as issues get smoothed out, but they will be going away entirely.

During the adjustment period and phase-in, not every crossing was digitally recorded. In some cases, manual stamps are still being reported, especially if there are issues with the kiosks or technology in specific locations. In the future, the crossings will all be fully digital. 

Who is affected by the EES? Non-EU nationals and exemptions

The EES applies to all non-EU nationals entering the Schengen area for short stays (up to 90 days in a 180-day period). This is true whether you have a Schengen visa or you are visa-exempt (such as US or UK citizens). EU, EEA, and Swiss citizens do not need to go through EES. Non-EU nationals who hold valid residence permits or long-stay visas are also exempt.

There are several exemptions. Legal residents, long-stay visa holders, and travelers of specific nationalities don’t have to go through EES. 

It is worth knowing that simply owning a holiday home in Spain or France, for example, doesn’t make you exempt from EES. 

What data does the EES collect, and how long is it kept?

The EES tracks your entry, exit, and any refusal records (if applicable). This information is kept for three years in your individual file. If you overstay (accidentally or intentionally), the information is kept on file for five years. The time is rolling. This means the data is kept for three years from the date it is collected. Once each period ends, the data is erased automatically. 

In some very specific cases, information is kept for one year rather than three. This is the case for non-EU nationals who are family members of EU citizen(s), not residents, but traveling with their EU family member. 

In most cases, the following table is applicable.

What most travel guides fail to mention is who is allowed to access your data collected in the EES. Under Regulation (EU) 2017/2226, the EES is interoperable with the Visa Information System (VIS). VIS is another data system used by the European Union and Schengen countries. Both national law enforcement and Europol (the EU’s law enforcement agency) can request access to the data in EES. That said, they can only do so under strict conditions and oversight (such as to fight serious crime like terrorism and trafficking). 

Why did the EU create the EES? Objectives and legal framework

The EU created the EES for several reasons. One reason is for overstays to be automatically detected. Manual tracking leaves a lot of room for human error. When the information is automatic and digital, it’s a lot easier to track who is coming and going, and when. EES was also developed to help strengthen border security. Directly relating to automatic information collection, it is significantly easier to track migration and movement when it’s automated and in a system that authorities (with the right credentials) can access. 

Lastly, once all of the adjustment periods have leveled out, EES should make the border process faster for travelers, not slower. 

Regulation (EU) 2017/2226 is the legal framework for EES. It was actually adopted on November 20, 2017, though it took several years to build the necessary technological systems for EES to be fully implemented. This isn’t the only regulation, though. A second law, Regulation (EU) 2025/1534, was added in July 2025. This newer regulation allowed for a phased rollout of EES, which is what we saw take place between October 2025 and April 2026. 

EES is run and managed by eu-LISA, the European Union’s agency for large-scale IT systems. 

While it’s live now, there has been some pushback over the years. When it was presented in the Smart Borders Package, the European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) raised some important questions and concerns about large-scale IT systems, the data they hold, mass surveillance, and overstay management. 

Today, travelers are self-reporting mixed experiences. Some say that their border crossing experiences through the EES are fast, smooth, and with no trouble at all. Others are reporting unprecedented wait times and delays. 

EES operational impact: queues, airports and summer 2026 disruption

Though phased, operational experiences have varied throughout the Schengen area. Since April 2026, some crossings have seen increased waits. Others have seen only minor delays, if any at all. There are a lot of moving pieces: new kiosks, staff, peak travel weekends and seasons, and the software itself. The summer of 2026 was the first summer under the fully-launched system.

Which airports and crossing points are most affected?

Several airports have seen more severe bottlenecks than others. Extremely busy airports in tourist destinations have felt the impacts. Destinations in Spain, Italy, Greece, Portugal, and France have had delays in specific locations. 

EES isn’t unique to airports. It is implemented at land and sea crossings too. Passengers taking the Eurostar, ferries, buses, or renting cars still need to pass through it when entering and exiting. 

According to Regulation (EU) 2025/1534, member countries could temporarily suspend EES operations (for up to 6 hours at a time), but only in extreme circumstances (such as truly debilitating wait times). Member countries were able to do this within the first 90 days post-rollout completion. Since the rollout was completed April 10th, the 90-day window would have ended on July 10, 2026. Extensions can apply.

How long will the delays last?

The European Union expects any hiccups, issues, and delays to smooth out over time. In fact, officials have even reported that they expect border crossings to be faster in the future thanks to EES. It will be easier to gauge the situation once the entire ecosystem has had time to adjust and adapt to the new process and technology. 

Still, the EU hasn’t given a timeline as to when we can expect the system to be more fluid. The summer months are usually the busiest in the Schengen Area when it comes to an influx of non-EU passengers.

Some airlines, airport bodies, and commissions have pressed for a temporary summer suspension, but so far, there have been no overarching pauses. 

The EES and the 90/180-day rule: what changes for travelers

EES doesn’t have any impact on the existing 90/180-day rule itself. Non-EU visitors are still allowed to stay up to 90 days in any given 180-day period (some require a visa, others don’t). The Entry/Exit System changes how authorities track the days. Now, stays are tallied automatically, since entries and exits are digitally recorded and timestamped. This means that if you overstay (even by accident), it is digitally recorded and filed.

There is one thing to keep in mind. During the phase-in, or during moments where EES has been temporarily paused at specific crossings, it’s possible your trip isn’t fully logged. For instance, maybe the entrance is recorded digitally, but the exit is a passport stamp (or vice versa). This is all due to the adjustment period, and these kinks are expected to iron out over time. If this is the case for you, don't worry. Transitional issues like this are known and expected.

EES FAQ: the most common questions on the Entry/Exit System