The EU's Entry/Exit System: What Non-EU Travellers Need to Know

How all non-EU citizens, including British visitors, travel to and from the European Union began to change from 12 October 2025, when the bloc's long-delayed biometric entry-check system started operating. The Entry/Exit System (EES) requires non-EU citizens to register their personal details, including fingerprints and facial images, the first time they enter the Schengen area.

The Schengen area covers all EU nations apart from Ireland and Cyprus, plus Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. Data collection is being introduced gradually, with full implementation expected by 10 April 2026 — a phased approach the EU says should help avoid long queues at the border.

Photo by jimmy teoh on Pexels

Why the EU is making the change

The new electronic system removes the requirement to manually stamp passports at the external border. Instead, it creates digital records that link a travel document to a person's identity using biometrics. The EU says it wants to modernise the management of its external borders, prevent illegal migration, combat identity fraud and identify overstayers. The system also monitors whether visa-free travellers are respecting the rule allowing stays of up to 90 days in any 180-day period.

What happens at the border

Anyone arriving in the Schengen area for the first time will have to scan their passport, register their fingerprints and provide a facial scan. On departure, travellers' details are checked against the EES database to confirm compliance with the time limits and to record the exit. Subsequent journeys only require facial biometric verification. Children under 12 are registered but only have their photograph taken, and there is no fee to use EES.

The checks happen at international airports, ports, train terminals and road crossings within the Schengen area. There is an important exception for cross-Channel routes: at the Port of Dover, the Eurotunnel terminal in Folkestone and the Eurostar terminal at London St Pancras, registration takes place on departure from the UK, overseen by French border officials, so travellers do not repeat the check on arrival.

Queues and what comes next

Because EES is being introduced gradually, the EU is confident it will avoid significant disruption, and border officials can suspend checks for short periods if processing times become too long. At Dover and the Eurotunnel terminal, only freight and coach traffic faced EES checks from 12 October, with passenger vehicle checks following later in the year. The bigger test was expected to be holiday traffic at Easter 2026 and the following summer.

EES is also a precursor to the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS), slated to become operational in late 2026. Non-EU visitors will then need to apply for an ETIAS authorisation, provide trip details and pay a €20 fee before travelling, with the authorisation valid for three years or until the passport expires. If you want to get ahead of these changes, our overview of EES and ETIAS explains how the two systems fit together.