The EU Entry/Exit System

By the Viamo editorial team · Editor Terje Moy · Last updated July 2026 · 5 min read

The EU's Entry/Exit System (EES) is a new automated border registration system that replaces the traditional passport stamp for non-EU, non-Schengen visitors crossing into the Schengen Area. When fully operational, it will record your biometric data and track the length of your stay electronically. If you hold a non-EU passport and visit Europe for short stays, EES affects you — here is what it means in practice.

What EES is and why it was introduced

The Entry/Exit System is a database that records every time a non-EU national crosses the external borders of the Schengen Area — both entry and exit — for short stays of up to 90 days. The European Commission designed it for two main purposes:

• To replace paper passport stamps, which are easy to forge and difficult to verify consistently across 27+ member states
• To automatically detect overstays — visitors who remain beyond their permitted period under the Schengen 90/180-day rule will be flagged by the system

The system also aims to speed up processing at major crossing points by automating much of the border check through self-service kiosks, reducing the burden on border officers for routine entries.

Who EES applies to

EES applies to all non-EU, non-EEA and non-Swiss nationals entering the Schengen Area for short stays. This includes:

• British citizens following Brexit
• US, Canadian, Australian and other visa-exempt visitors
• Visitors holding Schengen visas

EES does not apply to EU, EEA (Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein) or Swiss citizens, nor to holders of Schengen long-stay visas or residence permits. People who live and work in the Schengen Area under a residence permit continue to use their standard crossing process.

Crossing between Schengen member states internally — say, driving from France to Germany — is not affected by EES, because those are internal Schengen borders with no formal passport checks under normal circumstances.

What data is collected

At your first crossing after EES becomes active at a given border point, you will be asked to:

• Have your passport scanned
• Provide a facial image taken by a camera
• Have your four fingerprints scanned (both index and middle fingers of each hand)

This biometric profile is stored in the central EES database. On subsequent crossings within the retention period (three years, extendable under certain circumstances), your identity can be verified quickly by matching your face or fingerprints against the stored record without re-registering.

The system also records the date, time and location of each entry and exit, allowing it to calculate automatically how many days you have spent in the Schengen Area — replacing the manual stamp-counting process travellers currently do themselves.

How EES changes the border experience

At borders that have implemented EES, self-service kiosks handle the initial registration. The process typically looks like this:

1. You present your passport at a kiosk (or a border officer's desk on first registration)
2. Your passport chip is read and your biometrics collected
3. A brief interview with a border officer follows to complete the formal entry check
4. On future crossings, kiosks can identify you faster using your stored biometric profile

In the early implementation period, additional queues and processing time should be expected — particularly at busy crossing points like major airports, the Channel Tunnel and Eurostar terminals, and popular land crossings. Border authorities across Schengen member states have been working to add kiosk capacity, but some bottlenecks during peak travel periods are likely as the system beds in.

EES and ETIAS: two different systems

EES is frequently confused with ETIAS — the European Travel Information and Authorisation System. They are separate:

• ETIAS is a pre-travel authorisation that visa-exempt visitors must obtain before boarding a flight or ferry to the Schengen Area — similar in concept to the US ESTA or Canada's eTA.
• EES is what happens at the actual border when you arrive — biometric registration and exit tracking.

When both are fully operational, visa-exempt visitors will need to have ETIAS in place before travel and will then go through EES registration on arrival. The two systems are linked but independent steps.

What EES means for the 90/180-day rule

The Schengen 90/180-day rule does not change with EES — the limit remains 90 days in any rolling 180-day window. What changes is enforcement: rather than relying on border officers manually counting stamps in a passport (which can be inconsistently stamped, or not stamped at all), EES will calculate your remaining allowance automatically from the digital record of your crossings. If you have used 90 days, the system will flag it.

This also means travellers who previously stretched the rules because passport stamps were easy to miscount or go unchecked will find the system much harder to game. The record in the database is the authoritative one.

Data protection and retention

EES data is held under EU data protection rules (GDPR applies to its management). Entry and exit records are retained for three years after the date of exit, or for five years if an overstay is recorded. After the retention period, data is automatically deleted. Authorities in member states' border control and immigration departments have access to the data for border-control and law-enforcement purposes as defined by the EES Regulation.

Frequently asked questions

Will EES slow down border crossings?

In the initial implementation period, some additional delays are likely — particularly at high-volume crossing points during peak travel times. The system is designed to speed crossings up once fully embedded, but the transition period is expected to be bumpy. Allow more time than usual for border crossings once EES goes live.

Does EES apply at the Channel Tunnel?

Yes. Eurostar and Le Shuttle passengers travelling from the UK into France pass through Schengen border controls at either St Pancras International, Folkestone or on arrival in France, depending on the service. Once EES is active, non-EU passengers on these routes will be registered in the system.

Do I still need to track my own Schengen days?

The EES database will track your days automatically, but it is still wise to keep your own record. The 90/180-day rule remains your responsibility to comply with — the EES simply makes enforcement more accurate and automatic.

I am a British citizen — does EES affect me?

Yes. Since Brexit, British citizens are third-country nationals for Schengen purposes and will be subject to EES registration like any other visa-exempt non-EU visitor. This is one of the most significant day-to-day border changes for UK travellers visiting the EU.