European Union Commissioner of Home Affairs Ylva Johansson has announced that the EU’s new Entry/Exit System (EES) will launch on November 10, 2024. EES is intended to function as an automated electronic system for registering the entry and exit of non-EU nationals traveling for short stays in the Schengen Area. The system is meant to replace passport stamping for most short-term visitors. EES will track each time an individual crosses an external Schengen border, collecting biometric data and enabling officials to better address overstays. The EU’s launch of the EES system comes as the bloc is preparing for the start of the much delayed ETIAS electronic travel authorization program in 2025.

Modernizing the EU’s Entry and Exit System

The Schengen Area is a free movement zone comprised of twenty-nine European countries that have agreed to function as a single jurisdiction for purposes of passport and border controls. The free movement zone includes all EU member states except Ireland and Cyprus. Non-EU member states – namely Iceland, Norway, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein – are also part of the Schengen Area. EU members Bulgaria and Romania have lifted air and sea borders with the rest of the Schengen zone but maintain land border controls.

Upon its launch in November, the EES system will apply to external entries and exits of all twenty-nine Schengen Area members by non-EU nationals. Travelers to Ireland and Cyprus will still receive physical passport stamps. For the purpose of the EES, “non-EU national” means a traveler not holding the nationality of any EU country or the nationality of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, or Switzerland. Limited exceptions to EES apply, including non-EU nationals holding residence or long-stay permits, as well as passport holders, from Andorra, Monaco, San Marino, and Vatican City.   

At each entry or exist, EES will collect, record, and store the traveler’s passport biographical data (e.g., name, date of birth), date and place of entry or exit, facial image and fingerprints and whether the traveler was refused entry. Data collection is expected to help reinforce the efficiency of external border management, prevent irregular migration, catch travelers using fake passports, and identify travelers who have exceeded their permitted stay in the Schengen Area (90 days within any rolling 180-day period for most travelers). The EU also plans to offer an EES online tool which travelers may use to confirm their authorized length of stay.

Impact on Travelers

Once the system is introduced, in practical terms, non-EU nationals entering the Schengen Area will not notice much difference, except that they will no longer receive entry or exit stamps in their passports.  However, even though the EES is supposed to accurately track travel into and out of the Schengen Area, we would recommend that non-EU travelers to the Schengen Area keep a record of their entries and exits in case the amount of time that they spend in the Schengen Area is ever questioned by an Immigration Officer.

Please continue to follow updates on our blog, The Mobile Workforce.