Security Checks Travellers Face Entering and Leaving Schengen

The Schengen area lets people move freely once they are inside it, so the controls that matter happen at the external border. The checks travellers go through when arriving and leaving depend mainly on their country of citizenship, with one set of rules for EU and associated-country nationals and another for everyone else.

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Two groups of travellers

Citizens of EU countries, as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland, face no special requirements before they travel. All other travellers need to prepare in advance: those who require a visa must apply for one, while visa-exempt visitors will need to request a travel authorisation online through ETIAS. This distinction shapes everything that follows at the border.

What happens at the border and on exit

At the border crossing, EU and associated-country citizens are checked against the relevant databases. Other travellers face additional steps: they are checked against the same databases, their compliance with the Schengen entry conditions is verified, and their entry or any refusal of entry is registered in the Entry/Exit System (EES). When leaving, EU nationals are again checked against the databases, while non-EU travellers also have their exit recorded in the EES. People who arrive irregularly are checked against national, European and international databases, identified and fingerprinted, and returned home if they have no right to stay.

What EES and ETIAS will change

Two large systems are reshaping these controls. The European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) is expected to start operations in the last quarter of 2026, adding the online travel authorisation step for visa-free visitors. In March 2025, the Council agreed a general approach to introduce the Entry/Exit System gradually over six months, replacing manual passport stamping with digital records. If you are a visa-exempt traveller, you can read how to prepare your ETIAS application before these rules take effect.

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