The EU Entry/Exit System explained: fingerprints, face scans and the end of passport stamps

What the EES is and what it records

The European Commission describes the EES as an automated IT system for registering non-EU nationals who travel for a short stay. It applies each time such a person crosses the external border of one of the 29 European countries that use it ¹. The EU agency eu-LISA develops and manages the system ^1,3.

Each record holds the traveller's name, travel document data and biometric data, which means fingerprints and a captured facial image. The system logs the date and place of each entry and exit. It logs refusals of entry too ¹. eu-LISA estimates that the system affects about 1.3 billion border crossings into and out of the Schengen area each year ³.

The stated aims are to detect people who overstay, to identify people who use false or forged documents, and to support internal security ¹. The system counts days of stay against the short-stay limit of 90 days in any 180-day period and flags people who stay longer ^1,2.

• Identity: surname, first name, date and place of birth, sex and nationality ⁴
• Document: document number, issuing country code and expiry date ⁴
• Biometrics: a facial image for all, and fingerprints for people aged 12 and over ^2,4
• Movements: date, time and place of each entry and exit, and any refusal of entry ^1,4

Who must register and who is exempt

The EES Regulation covers non-EU nationals admitted for a short stay who go through border checks. It covers people refused entry for a short stay. It covers family members of EU citizens who do not hold a residence card ².

The Regulation lists groups it does not cover. These include family members of EU citizens who hold a residence card, holders of residence permits, holders of long-stay visas, and nationals of Andorra, Monaco and San Marino. Holders of passports issued by the Vatican City State are outside its scope, as are people exempt from border checks ².

Children under 12 do not give fingerprints. People who cannot physically give fingerprints are exempt from that step. If the problem is temporary, it is noted, and fingerprints are taken at exit or at the next entry ². In France, the government says providing biometric data is mandatory for travellers covered by the EES, and a refusal leads to refusal of entry ⁴.

Rollout: from progressive start to full operation

The Commission proposed the EES on 6 April 2016. The Regulation was adopted on 20 November 2017 and entered into force on 29 December 2017 ¹. Launch was delayed several times. In December 2024 the Commission proposed a progressive start. Regulation (EU) 2025/1534 set out that approach and entered into force on 26 July 2025 ¹.

The progressive start began on 12 October 2025 ¹. Member states had to register a rising share of travellers. Trade press reporting the EES implementation calendar said the threshold rose from 10 percent to 35 percent on 9 January 2026, with 50 percent expected by 10 March 2026 ⁶. The Commission says the system became fully operational on 10 April 2026 ¹.

The rollout brought long queues at some airports. International Airport Review reported that Lisbon Airport suspended EES checks in December 2025 after waits reached seven hours, and that the airport group ACI Europe reported processing times up to 70 percent higher at peak ⁶. The same report said the legislation lets member states partly suspend EES operations for 90 days after full rollout, extendable by 60 days, to manage queues in the summer peak ⁶. It cited Commission figures of more than 30 million entries and exits and more than 16,000 refusals of entry registered during the progressive phase ⁶.

How the EES changes passport stamping

Before the EES, border guards in Schengen countries stamped passports on entry and exit, and the stamps were the record of a stay ^1,2. The Commission says that as of 10 April 2026 the EES replaces the stamping of passports ¹. eu-LISA says electronic records replace manual stamps ³.

The EES Regulation set a transition period. For 180 days after the system started, border authorities had to check stamps in travel documents alongside EES data when working out a person's stay ².

Kiosks, tablets and the Travel to Europe app

The Commission says the EES allows wider use of automated border control and self-service systems ¹. Some airports use self-service kiosks. In France, the government describes fixed kiosks where travellers enter their own data with help from staff, and tablets that officers use at some crossing points ⁴.

In France, kiosk pre-registration is optional and free. A border guard still checks and validates the EES record at the booth. Travellers can skip the kiosk and go straight to an officer. A biometric passport is needed to use the kiosk ⁴. Accompanied children under 12 can use the kiosks, but their facial image is taken at the booth. Unaccompanied minors must see an officer ⁴.

Frontex developed a mobile app, Travel to Europe, that lets travellers submit passport details, a facial image and answers to entry questions up to 72 hours before arrival. Use of the app is voluntary for each Schengen country, and each country chooses which functions to switch on ⁵. As of 13 July 2026, The Local reported that Sweden offered passport data, facial image and questionnaire functions, and Portugal offered the questionnaire only, starting at Lisbon Airport ⁵. The app does not replace the border check ⁵.

Retention: how long the data is kept

The EES Regulation sets retention by outcome. Records of travellers who stayed within their permitted time are kept for three years. Records of refused entry are kept for three years. Records of people who did not leave by the end of their permitted stay are kept for five years ².

For some family members of EU citizens, records are kept for one year after exit ². For more on how long border data is kept in different systems, see the page on who keeps passport data.

Where the data goes and who can see it

eu-LISA runs the central system ^1,3. Border, visa and immigration authorities in the participating countries use it at the border and for stay checks. eu-LISA says the EES links with other EU information systems to cross-check travellers against security databases ³. Frontex says the planned ETIAS system will check applications against the EES, the Schengen Information System and the Visa Information System ⁸.

Police and Europol can query the EES under set conditions. The European Data Protection Supervisor says that under Article 33 of the EES Regulation, Europol may search the system to identify unknown suspects, perpetrators or victims of terrorist or serious criminal offences, or to check the travel history of known suspects. Requests go through a central access point that checks the conditions first ⁷. In a 2026 opinion, the EDPS called this a high-risk form of processing and asked Europol to document proportionality tests and clarify how biometric match scores will be used ⁷.

The Regulation says personal data from the EES should not be passed to any third country, international organisation or private body. It allows limited exceptions for identifying people for return, and for urgent cases of imminent danger ². Travellers have rights of access, correction, completion and erasure, and a right to seek redress ². The page on data protection by country explains how to make a request.