If you are planning a trip to Europe, the border experience has changed. The European Union’s Entry/Exit System, usually shortened to EES, became fully operational on April 10, 2026, after a phased rollout that began on October 12, 2025. It replaces passport stamping with digital records for most non-EU short-stay visitors, and it adds biometric checks at the border. This article summarises what the system does, who it affects and what travellers are being told to expect, based on reporting from Euronews published on April 6, 2026. Border conditions can change, so check official guidance close to your travel date.
What the system is
EES is a digital border register covering 29 European countries. Instead of an officer stamping your passport on arrival and departure, the system records your entry and exit electronically. It also records refusals of entry for non-EU short-stay visitors, along with data from your travel document and biometric data: a facial image and fingerprints. Biometric data is stored for three years, which is meant to make repeat visits faster because your details are already on file.
Two countries do not use it. Ireland and Cyprus are not part of EES and still carry out manual passport checks.
Who it applies to
EES applies to non-EU and non-Schengen citizens making a short stay of up to 90 days in any 180-day period, whether for tourism or business. That includes visa-exempt travellers and UK citizens. It also covers people who own property in the EU but do not hold a residence permit. If you are not sure how the 90 days in 180 allowance is calculated, our explainer on how the Schengen rolling window really works is a good companion read, because EES records your actual entries and exits and makes overstays easier to detect.
The exemptions include EU and Schengen citizens, non-EU nationals who hold long-term visas or residence permits from these countries, family members of EU nationals who hold a residence card, certain local residents with border traffic permits, train and plane crew on international journeys, and nationals of Andorra, San Marino, Vatican City and Monaco. Some cruise day trips that begin and end outside the Schengen area are also exempt.
What happens at the border
No advance registration is required. You register at the border. Travellers with a biometric passport may be able to use self-service kiosks, which is the only situation where a biometric passport is specifically needed. Holders of standard passports go to a manned booth and provide a photo and fingerprints. Children under 12 do not have to give fingerprints, though they still need a photo. Anyone who refuses to provide biometric data is automatically refused entry, so there is no workaround.
The Travel to Europe app
An official Travel to Europe app lets third-country travellers pre-register biometric photos and passport data up to 72 hours before arrival. It involves completing an entry questionnaire and taking a selfie, and it is available on Google Play and the Apple App Store. Euronews reported that it does not replace the border interview, and that at the time of writing it was available only for travel into certain countries, such as Portugal and Sweden, with plans for wider expansion. Check whether your arrival country is supported before relying on it.
Queues and timing
The practical issue for travellers is waiting time. Euronews reported that, according to ACI Europe and Airlines for Europe, waits were regularly reaching up to two hours at peak traffic times. All third-country passengers have been required to register through EES since March 31, and border authorities can no longer suspend the system during busy periods. Travellers were advised to plan to arrive around 1.5 to 2 hours earlier than usual. That figure is the guidance reported at that time, not an official EU rule, and delays are expected to ease over the medium term. Airport and airline groups had asked the Commission to allow suspensions for the whole of the 2026 summer season.
For your own planning, the lesson is to build slack into arrival days. If you are catching an onward train or a pre-booked transfer after landing in Europe, allow generous connection times, and avoid scheduling anything tight on the day you cross the border. Our Schengen guide and our city planning advice in the Rome travel guide both help with building a realistic first day.
How it differs from ETIAS
EES is not the same as ETIAS, the separate pre-travel authorisation for visa-exempt visitors. EES is a border registration system that is already running. ETIAS is an online authorisation you would apply for before travel, and at the time of Euronews’s reporting it was not yet operational. Because there is no ETIAS authorisation to apply for, any website claiming to issue one today should be treated with suspicion. Use only the official EU travel information site, travel-europe.europa.eu, for current requirements.
What reporting says about its impact so far
Euronews cited the European Commission as reporting that, since the rollout began, more than 24,000 people have been refused entry and over 600 identified as security risks. Those figures are the Commission’s, as reported, and we have not independently verified them.
A short checklist before you fly
- Check your passport. Confirm it is valid and in good condition. Our guide to what to do if you lose your passport explains why copies matter.
- Look at the official site for your nationality and arrival country, including whether the app is supported.
- Add buffer time to connections and transfers on arrival day.
- Keep your travel details to hand, since officers may ask about your stay.
Source and caveat
This article draws on Euronews reporting from April 6, 2026. Systems, queues and app coverage can change, so treat this as background and confirm the current position with the official EU travel information site before you travel.