Last updated: October 22, 2025
Planning a weekend in Paris, a ski trip to Austria, or a beach holiday in Spain this winter? You might notice something new when you arrive at passport control.
Starting October 12, 2025, the EU will begin rolling out the Entry/Exit System (EES) — a new border process for everyone who isn’t an EU or Schengen citizen, including UK travellers.
The goal is simple: to make Europe’s borders more secure, prevent illegal overstays, and replace the old passport stamps with a modern digital system. Under EU rules, visitors from outside the bloc can stay for up to 90 days within any 180-day period in the Schengen Area.
Here’s what you can expect once the system goes live.
The EU Entry/Exit System (EES) is a new automated border control system designed to register when travellers from non-EU countries, including the UK, enter or leave the Schengen Area.
It replaces manual passport stamps with a digital record that includes biometric data such as facial images and fingerprints. The system aims to make border checks faster, more secure, and to ensure visitors don’t exceed the 90-day stay limit.
The Entry/Exit System or EES is one of the biggest changes to European border control in decades. It’s a long-planned EU project that’s been in the works for more than 10 years, and it’s finally becoming a reality.
The EES automatically records each time a non-EU traveller — including visitors from the UK — crosses the Schengen border. Instead of relying on manual passport stamps, it collects biometric data such as facial images and fingerprints, together with details from the traveller’s passport and the exact date and place of entry or exit.
The system then records how long each traveller stays in the EU, ensuring they don’t exceed the 90-days-in-180 rule that applies to short visits. In other words, the EES will help border officers check your travel history instantly — all without flipping through pages of stamps. Once fully rolled out, the system promises faster, more secure, and more accurate border checks for millions of travellers every year.
The EU’s new Entry/Exit System (EES) officially launched on 12 October 2025, marking the start of a major shift in how Europe manages its borders. The rollout won’t happen overnight — there’s a 6-month transition period for all member states to get fully equipped and connected.
Some airports and land crossings are already ready to use the system, while others are still installing biometric kiosks and upgrading their border technology. The idea is for the transition to be gradual, giving each country enough time to adapt.
For UK travellers, this means you may start seeing the new border checks at certain airports and Eurotunnel or ferry crossings from autumn 2025, with more locations joining over the following months.
The entire system is expected to be fully operational by April 2026.
To help you picture how the new system will work, we’ve broken down what a typical journey will look like for a UK traveller entering the Schengen Area once the EES is fully in place.
Before your trip, make sure your passport is valid for at least 3 months beyond the date you plan to leave the EU. You don’t need a visa for short visits — UK citizens can still spend up to 90 days within any 180-day period in the Schengen Area. There’s no pre-registration or online form to complete; the EES process takes place automatically at the border when you arrive.
When you land at a Schengen airport, you’ll be directed to the Non-EU/EEA lane at passport control. Here, a border officer or automated kiosk will scan your passport.
If it’s your first trip since the system was introduced, you’ll also need to complete a quick biometric registration. This means:
This process only takes a couple of minutes and replaces the old method of stamping your passport.
From then on, every time you enter or leave the EU, the system will automatically create a digital record of your movement — noting the date, time, and border crossing point.
Once inside the Schengen Area, you can travel freely between member countries without border checks — just as before. The only difference is that the EES is now silently working in the background, tracking your stay digitally. You don’t need to calculate your 90 days manually — the system does it for you.
When your holiday or business trip is over, the process is just as simple.
At the airport or border crossing, your passport is scanned again, and the system automatically records your exit date and location.
If everything is within the 90-day limit, you’ll pass through in seconds.
If you accidentally overstay your 90 days, the EES will automatically flag it the next time you travel. This could lead to a fine or even a temporary entry ban, so it’s important to keep an eye on your travel dates — even though the system does most of the counting for you.
Once you’ve completed your first biometric registration, future trips will be faster.
You won’t have to give fingerprints or photos again — the system will simply recognize your details automatically using your passport or a quick facial scan at an e-gate.
It is a good idea to know there the EES is implemented as this can help avoid surprises and plan for slightly longer checks the first time. The rollout is gradual, so not every airport will have the system active from day one.
For example, Düsseldorf Airport in Germany and Paris Charles de Gaulle and Orly airports in France are among the first to introduce EES equipment, while others are still upgrading their border infrastructure.
By spring 2026, the system will be active at all external Schengen borders, including major travel routes used by UK visitors.
Not everyone crossing the EU’s external borders will need to register in the Entry/Exit System.
The EES applies only to non-EU and non-Schengen citizens entering the Schengen Area for a short stay — typically up to 90 days within any 180-day period.
The following travellers are exempt:
So, if you’re a UK visitor coming for a short holiday or business trip, you’ll go through the EES.
But if you live legally in an EU country with a residence permit or long-term visa, you won’t need to register each time you travel.
While the Entry/Exit System promises faster and more secure border checks eventually, many travellers and border authorities have raised concerns about its initial rollout. One of the main worries is the potential for long queues and delays, especially during the first months as millions of people complete their biometric registration for the first time.
Airports, ferry ports, and Eurotunnel terminals handling large numbers of UK passengers — such as Dover, Calais, and Paris Charles de Gaulle — are preparing for possible bottlenecks while travellers adjust to the new procedures.
There are also questions about data protection and privacy, since the system will store biometric and travel information for several years. EU officials, however, say that the EES is designed with strict data security measures and that once travellers are registered, future crossings will be much faster. Still, the first few months after launch are expected to be a learning curve for both passengers and border staff.
In most cases, travellers cannot claim flight delay compensation if their flight is delayed or missed due to border control issues caused by the new Entry/Exit System (EES). Under EU and UK Regulations, passengers are entitled to compensation only when a delay or cancellation is the airline’s responsibility — for example, due to technical faults, operational problems, or crew issues. It is always a good idea to learn more about when you are entitled to compensation.
When you complete your EES registration, your data doesn’t expire immediately after your trip. It’s stored in the EU’s central database. Currently, EES records are kept for 3 years after your last entry or exit. If you travel again within that time, your existing data (facial image, fingerprints, and passport details) will simply be updated — you won’t need to register again.
If you don’t travel to the Schengen Area for more than 3 years, your biometric data will be deleted automatically, and you’ll need to re-register the next time you visit.
This system ensures efficiency for frequent travellers while maintaining the EU’s strict data protection and privacy standards.
Yes. After Brexit, UK citizens are treated as third-country nationals under EU law, which means they must go through the EES when entering or leaving the Schengen Area.
If you’re travelling to Europe for a short stay (up to 90 days within any 180-day period), you’ll need to complete the biometric registration — a quick facial photo and fingerprint scan — the first time you cross an EES-equipped border.
Some airports across Europe are already preparing for the Entry/Exit System ahead of its launch. For example, in France, both Paris Charles de Gaulle and Orly airports are setting up dedicated EES control areas, where passengers from non-EU countries — including the UK — will complete their biometric registration before entering the Schengen Area.
However, not all border points will be ready immediately. The rollout will be gradual, with traditional passport checks continuing in parallel until the system is fully operational across all external Schengen borders by April 2026.
Under the EU Entry/Exit System (EES), travellers from non-EU countries — including the UK — will have to provide biometric data the first time they enter the Schengen Area after the system goes live.
The data collected includes:
Yes — eventually, most UK travellers will need to use both systems, but they serve different purposes.
The Entry/Exit System (EES) is used at the border, when you physically enter or leave the Schengen Area. It records your passport details, biometric data, and travel dates to make sure you don’t exceed the 90 days in any 180-day period rule.
The European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS), on the other hand, must be completed online before you travel. It’s a pre-travel authorisation, similar to the US ESTA. Once approved, it will be valid for 3 years or until your passport expires.
In short:
ETIAS is expected to become mandatory in 2026, once the EES is fully operational. Also, if you’re planning a trip to the UK and you don’t need a short-term visa, you’ll likely need an electronic travel authorisation (ETA).
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