The EU is introducing a new Entry/Exit system from 12th October 2025 for non-EU nationals. This means you’ll get your fingerprints and photo taken when first entering or leaving the Schengen area, which will be stored in a digital file. Data collection will be gradually introduced at different border crossing points with, it is hoped, full implementation by 10 April 2026. Queues at borders may be longer when these changes begin. If you pass a border still transitioning to the new system after 12th October, your passport will be stamped as usual. The new checks are planned to enhance security and reduce illegal migration.
The countries in the Schengen area are:
Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.
If you cross a border a second time after the EES starts, your fingerprints or the photo of your face will already be recorded in the EES, and the passport control officers will only need to verify your fingerprints and photo, which will take less time.
To find out more about this new border control visit the European Travel Website.
Looking further ahead, in the last quarter of 2026, another new system is expected. The ETIAS (European Travel Information and Authorisation System) is a pre-travel screening process and a mandatory entry requirement for visa-exempt non-EU nationals travelling to the Schengen countries. Designed to enhance security by identifying high-risk individuals, ETIAS is not a visa but an electronic travel authorisation that must be obtained before travelling for short stays (up to 90 days in any 180-day period). The system will link to a traveller’s passport and will be valid for up to three years or until the passport expires.
