The Entry/Exit System (EES) is fully running at the external borders of 29 European countries: on your first visit you register your passport, a photo and fingerprints, and passports are no longer stamped. It is free. ETIAS, the €20 online travel authorisation, is not in operation yet and is expected in 2027 at the earliest. Until it launches, you cannot and do not need to apply.
Two systems, often confused
Two European projects arrived on the same timetable and are often mixed up.
- EES (Entry/Exit System) is a digital border record. It replaces the passport stamp with your biometric data and logs each entry and exit. It started on 12 October 2025, was phased in over six months, and has been fully operational since 10 April 2026. There is nothing to apply for and no fee.
- ETIAS (European Travel Information and Authorisation System) is a pre-travel permit, similar to the US ESTA or the UK ETA, that visa-exempt visitors will need to buy online before they travel. It is not running yet.
The EU's official EES site and official ETIAS site are the only sources to trust for dates and rules.
Where EES applies
EES runs at the external borders of 29 countries: every EU member except Ireland and Cyprus, plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. In practice that is everywhere in the Schengen area, from Portugal to Greece and from Norway to Italy.
| Country group | EES? | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Schengen EU members | Yes | France, Spain, Germany, Croatia |
| Non-EU Schengen | Yes | Switzerland, Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein |
| EU, outside the system | No | Ireland (Dublin), Cyprus |
| Not EU | No | The UK (London), Turkey, the Balkans outside the EU |
You register once, at the first Schengen border you cross. Flying from Dubai to Paris via Rome, that is Rome, not Paris: the flight between them is inside the area.
Who has to register
EES covers non-EU nationals on a short stay, meaning up to 90 days in any 180-day period, whether they need a visa or not. That includes holders of British, American, Canadian, Australian and UAE passports and most other visitors.
It does not apply to EU, Icelandic, Liechtenstein, Norwegian and Swiss citizens, to non-EU family members of EU citizens who hold a residence card, or to people who hold a residence permit or a long-stay visa for a country in the system. If you live in the UAE on a residence visa but hold, say, an Indian passport, it is your passport that counts: you will need a Schengen visa and you will register in EES.
What happens at the border
On your first entry after 10 April 2026, a border officer or a self-service kiosk will:
- scan your passport;
- take a photo of your face;
- take four fingerprints (children under 12 are exempt from fingerprinting);
- ask, in some cases, about your stay: where you are staying, the purpose of the trip and proof of funds or a return ticket.
Your record then logs each entry and exit, and the system counts your days automatically against the 90-in-180 rule, which used to be worked out from stamps. Your passport is no longer stamped. On later trips you are usually only checked against the stored record, which is quicker; a new passport means registering again.
Overstaying is now visible
Because every entry and exit is recorded, the 90-day limit is counted to the day. Use the EU's short-stay calculator on the official site if you make several trips in six months.
Queues, and how to avoid them
First-time registration takes longer than a stamp, and the first summer of full operation in 2026 brought long waits. Airline and airport groups reported queues of more than two hours at busy airports at peak times, and the UK side of the Channel crossings at Dover, Folkestone and London St Pancras was badly affected over the spring bank holiday.
- Allow more time for your first entry, especially in the summer and school holidays, and do not book a tight onward connection out of your first Schengen airport.
- Use the kiosks where they are offered; they pre-register you before you reach the officer.
- Families should expect children over 12 to give fingerprints too.
- Travelling by car or coach, expect the longest waits: everyone on board has to register.
ETIAS: what is coming, and when
ETIAS will be an online authorisation for visa-exempt travellers, including UK, US, Canadian, Australian and UAE passport holders. Once it launches, as currently set out:
- it will cost €20, with travellers under 18 and over 70 exempt from the fee;
- it will be valid for three years, or until your passport expires if sooner;
- most applications should be approved within minutes, though some take longer;
- there will be a transition period after launch, during which travellers without one are not turned away.
The EU has not announced a start date. The official site previously pointed to late 2026; that timetable has been dropped, and 2027 is now the earliest realistic date. The EU has said it will announce the date several months before launch.
Beware of ETIAS scam sites
Because ETIAS is not running, any website offering to sell you one now is not official. When it launches, apply only through the EU's own site or app.
The short version
- EES is live: register passport, face and fingerprints on your first Schengen entry. Free, no application.
- Passports are no longer stamped; your 90 days in 180 are counted automatically.
- ETIAS is not running: €20, valid three years, expected 2027 at the earliest.
- Allow extra time at the border, especially your first time and in peak season.