NEW EU ENTRY/EXIT SYSTEM (EES) TO TAKE EFFECT IN 2025

According to the latest information, the new EU Entry/Exit System (EES) is set to take effect in 2025.

In December 2024, the European Commission proposed the launch of the EES system and gave member states a six-month deadline to implement it.

The exact date is still unknown, but the official EU website states that the system is expected to be operational in 2025. The previous launch date was set for November 10, 2024, but due to concerns about its smooth functioning, it was postponed. The implementation will now be gradual rather than applied simultaneously at all EU border crossings, as originally planned.

We bring you a complete guide to the EES system for entering the European Union.

WHAT IS THE EES SYSTEM?

The Entry/Exit System (EES) is an automated IT system designed to register non-EU nationals traveling for short stays each time they cross the borders.

A "short stay" refers to a stay of up to 90 days within any 180-day period. This period is calculated as a single total for all European countries using the EES.

The system will be implemented at border crossings of the following countries: Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Romania, Slovenia, Greece, Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.

EES will function by requiring travelers to provide biometric data, such as fingerprints and facial photographs, in addition to their passports at border crossings.

HOW WILL PASSENGER REGISTRATION WORK?

If you are crossing the border for the first time since the introduction of EES, you will need to provide your personal data. Border officers will scan your fingerprints (four fingers) and take a photograph of your face. This information will be stored in a digital record. Your passport (whether biometric or non-biometric) will no longer be stamped.

Each time you arrive at an external EU border using the EES, you must submit your personal data.

EES will collect, record, and store:

- The data listed in your travel document (e.g., full name, date of birth, etc.),

- The date and location of each entry and exit,

- Facial photographs and fingerprints (biometric data, including four fingerprint scans),

- Information on any entry refusals.

Based on the collected biometric data, biometric templates will be created and stored in a central Biometric Matching Service.

If you hold a short-term visa for the Schengen Zone, your fingerprints are already stored in the Visa Information System (VIS) and will not be re-registered in the EES.