How Europe’s New Border Rule EES Works

If you’re planning to visit Europe anytime soon, you’ve probably heard a new buzzword floating around “EES”, which is simply the short form for the Entry/Exit System. This is Europe’s latest attempt to make border control not only smarter and faster but also more secure.

But what exactly is it? How does it work? And how will it affect travelers like us, especially those traveling on non-EU passports such as Ghanaian, Singaporean, or American?

What Is the EES?

The EU Entry/Exit System (EES) is a new digital border control system, which was officially rolled out on October 12, 2025, across the Schengen Area. In simple terms, let me say it replaces the old habit of border officers stamping your passport with a fully digital system that records your entry and exit automatically.

When you enter or leave the Schengen Area, your passport details, fingerprints, and a facial image will be stored electronically automatically. That information will then be used to calculate how long you’ve stayed. It will also check whether you’ve overstayed your visa or short-stay allowance.

Think of it as the EU’s version of a high-tech arrival stamp. The only difference is that this is much smarter and more data-driven.

Full List of Schengen Area Countries

The new EES applies across all Schengen Area countries, which are the European nations that share open borders for travel without routine passport checks. Below is the full list of the 29 countries where the EES will be implemented.

EU Countries in the Schengen Area (25 total)

1. Austria
2. Belgium
3. Croatia
4. Czech Republic
5. Denmark
6. Estonia
7. Finland
8. France
9. Germany
10. Greece
11. Hungary
12. Italy
13. Latvia
14. Lithuania
15. Luxembourg
16. Malta
17. Netherlands
18. Poland
19. Portugal
20. Slovakia
21. Slovenia
22. Spain
23. Sweden
24. Bulgaria
25. Romania

Non-EU Countries in the Schengen Area (4 total)

1. Iceland
2. Liechtenstein
3. Norway
4. Switzerland

Why Europe Is Doing This

Europe has been dealing with an increasing flow of travelers with millions crossing its borders every month. The old paper-stamp method made it difficult to track who came in, when they left, or whether they stayed longer than allowed.

The new EES system aims to fix that. Its main goals are to make the following possible:

• Make border checks faster and more reliable
• Automatically detect people who overstay
• Strengthen overall security at EU borders
• Reduce identity fraud and fake passports

I travel often across Europe and I can tell you that border control queues can be chaotic. This is even worse during summer holidays. I remember once flying from Malta to Switzerland, and the line at the airport was so long that people started joking we’d spend more time at passport control than in the air.

That’s exactly the kind of scenario the EES hopes to fix. By digitizing the process, Europe wants to make it faster and less stressful for travelers like us. Once everyone gets used to it, crossing borders within or into the Schengen Area should feel a lot smoother.

When Will It Start?

After years of delay, the EES officially began to go live on 12 October 2025 (which is actually the date of the writing of this article). According to reports, it will be rolled out gradually across all Schengen borders from airports to seaports to land crossings.

So if you are flying from let’s say Asia or America or even the United Kingdom to Schengen region of Europe and you are not an EU citizen, then you’ll have to register your biometric information right at the border. In the course of registration, you’ll have your face photographed. Your fingerprints will also be scanned. Only after these steps would you be allowed into the Schengen area of Europe. The goal like I said earlier is to eventually build a system that doesn’t need your passport to be stamped at the border by immigration officials.

How It Actually Works

Here’s what your border experience will look like once the system is live:

1. Arrival at Border or Airport: You’ll head to a self-service kiosk instead of the traditional officer’s counter.
2. Passport Scan: The machine will scan your passport and it will automatically pull up your travel data.
3. Biometric Capture: You’ll do two things here. First you’ll be asked to look into a camera for a facial photo and place your fingers on a scanner to capture your prints. Children under 12 won’t be required to have their fingerprints taken.
4. System Check: The EES database will automatically log your entry and store this valuable data of yours for future reference.
5. Exit: When you leave the Schengen Area, your exit is also logged automatically, which means there’ll be no manual passport stamp needed.

Once your data is registered, it’s going to be valid for your future trips to Europe’s Schengen area. So after your first EES experience, future crossings will be much quicker.

Who Will Be Affected by the EES?

This new system applies to non-EU nationals entering the Schengen Area for short stays (up to 90 days). It doesn’t matter whether they require a visa or not. That includes people traveling on Ghanaian, Singaporean, American, British, or Australian passports, among others.

If you already have a residence permit, long-stay visa, or EU citizenship, the EES won’t affect you.

How Long Will My Data Be Stored?

Under EU regulations, your data will be kept for:

• 3 years if you respect your visa or stay limit
• 5 years if you overstay

Only authorized border officers and certain law enforcement agencies will have access to your collected data. And these officers are mandated to comply with EU privacy laws like the GDPR.

How It Changes Travel for Us

I remember flying from Warsaw to Rome last year and the line at passport control was so long that some passengers almost missed their connections. That’s exactly the kind of situation EES wants to prevent.

Here’s what it means in practice:

1. Faster (Eventually)

Once the system is running smoothly, border checks should become faster for frequent travelers. No more long manual stamp procedures because your data is stored and recognized immediately.

2. More Accurate Tracking

If you’ve ever worried about how many days you’ve spent in the Schengen Zone, EES will calculate it for you automatically.

3. Tighter Security

The system will flag people who overstay or attempt to re-enter after overstaying, which helps maintain fairness for genuine travelers.

4. Possible Early Delays

Be ready for some hiccups during the rollout phase. It is very normal that anytime a new tech system launches, there’s bound to be confusion – especially at busy airports like Paris Charles de Gaulle or Frankfurt.

What About ETIAS?

You might have also heard about something called ETIAS, which simply means European Travel Information and Authorization System. The thing is that EES and ETIAS are two separate systems. However, they are designed to work together. EES records your border crossings. ETIAS, on the other hand, will be a pre-travel authorization you’ll need before flying to Europe if you’re visa-exempt (for example, Singaporeans or Malaysians).

Challenges and Concerns

No system on earth is perfect, and EES is already facing some criticism:

• Privacy worries: Not everyone is comfortable giving fingerprints and facial scans.
• Technical delays: Some countries may not be ready on time.
• Possible airport chaos: In the early days, travelers might face longer queues as border staff adjust to new machines.

Still, as someone who travels frequently, I’d rather have a smarter system that works efficiently than one that still depends on ink stamps and manual record-keeping.