EU to launch new Entry/Exit System for non-EU travellers on 12 October 2025

The EES is an advanced technological system that will digitally record the entry and exit information of non-EU nationals travelling to 29 countries in the Schengen area: 25 EU member states, as well as Norway, Liechtenstein, Iceland and Switzerland. (Please note: Cyprus is not currently part of the Schengen Area.)

For UK travellers, the EES will first be encountered when entering the Schengen area, whether at an EU or Schengen airport or seaport, or at UK locations where French border checks are carried out (Dover port, St Pancras Eurostar terminal in London, and the Eurotunnel terminal in Folkestone).

Once fully operational, the EES will simplify border checks and reduce crossing times. It will gradually replace manual passport stamping. The system has been developed to the highest standards of data and privacy protection, ensuring that travellers’ personal information remains secure.

The EES will also modernise and improve the management of EU external borders by:

• providing reliable data on border crossings,
• detecting overstays more systematically,
• capturing document and identity fraud, and
• contributing to the prevention of irregular migration.

The system will be introduced gradually over a six-month period starting 12 October 2025, during which border authorities will progressively register the data of non-EU nationals. By the end of this transition, the EES will be fully operational at all Schengen border crossing points.

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