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The EU Entry/Exit system and EU travel authorisation system

The European Union (EU) is introducing two separate but interconnected schemes that will affect non-EU citizens travelling to most EU countries, plus four other countries that form part of the EU Schengen area.  

These schemes are:

• The EU Entry/Exit System (EES), which is an automated system for registering travellers from the UK and other non-EU countries each time they cross an EU external border.
• The European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS), a travel authorisation to enter the EU for citizens of non-EU countries that do not require a visa for the EU

EU Entry/Exit System (EES)

EES was launched on 12 October 2025 after several delays. It was previously scheduled for implementation in 2022, then May 2023, then late 2023, and then late 2024. The new system was phased in over six months, with the aim of being fully operational from 10 April 2026.

EES is an automated IT system for registering travellers from non-EU countries, including the UK, each time they cross a border into or out of the EU. This replaces the previous manual stamping of passports for visitors to the Schengen area who are not nationals of EU or Schengen countries. Manual stamping was viewed by the European Commission as time consuming and unreliable in providing data on border crossings.

Travellers will need to have their passports or other travel documents scanned prior to crossing the border. The system will register the person’s name, type of travel document, biometric data (that is, fingerprints and captured facial images) and the date and place of entry and exit.

Non-EU/non-Schengen citizens who do not require a visa to enter the EU will have their fingerprints and facial images taken the first time they cross a border into the EU, once the new system is in operation. Fingerprints and facial images will then be checked against the record on subsequent visits. Self-service kiosks will be available at some border crossings enabling travellers to register or check their data. Border control officers will oversee the process.

This data will normally be erased from the system for data protection reasons three years after the last trip to a country using the EES system. Nationals of countries requiring a visa to enter the EU will not have their fingerprints taken by the EES system, as they will already have provided fingerprints as part of their visa application. Children under the age of 12 will be exempt from having to give fingerprints.

The system will apply when entering and exiting 25 EU countries (all member states apart from Cyprus and Ireland) and four non-EU countries (Norway, Iceland, Switzerland and Lichtenstein) that are part of the border-free Schengen area along with most EU member states (Ireland and Cyprus are the only EU member states that are not part of the Schengen area, though Cyprus is seeking to join it).

The system will apply to all nationals of countries that are not in the EU or Schengen area when travelling to the 29 countries operating EES for short stays. Non-EU citizens who are legally resident or have long-stay visas to live in an EU member state will be exempt from EES.

The EU Border Agency, Frontex, has developed the “Travel to Europe” smartphone app to enable partial EES registration ahead of travel, though fingerprints would still need to be collected at the border. Frontex said it was being trialled in selected locations in 2025, and its use would be voluntary. At present the app can only be used for partial registration when travelling to Sweden and Portugal.

Phased implementation

The EU’s original intention was for EES to be launched with full implementation across the EU on day one. However, after multiple delays and concerns voiced about this approach, the Commission announced plans for a phased roll-out in late 2024. This required new EU legislation to amend the original plans, which was adopted in July 2025.  

Under the revised plan participating countries could implement EES gradually over a 180-day period although it could be implemented straight away at some border crossings. Manual stamping of passports continued during this period, but the system was expected to be fully operational across participating countries from 10 April 2026.

Some EU countries began implementing EES fully on 12 October 2025, with the system also coming into operation at several airports across the EU/Schengen area.

EES had still not been fully implemented at all Schengen area border crossings by 10 April 2026. In early 2026, the European Commission referred to the possibility under the EES legislation for member states to be able to suspend EES operations potentially for a further 150 days after the 10 April implementation date. Article 7 (3) and (4) of the 2025 EES Regulation provides for the partial suspension of the operations of the EES at certain border crossings in the first 90 days following implementation, and potentially for a further fifty days, for periods of up to six hours in “exceptional circumstances” where there are excessive waiting times.

In early May 2026, the European Commission referred to the “built-in flexibility” in the EES system, permitting some functions to be suspended, following reports of implementation problems in several countries. It said that while there were problems in some member states, the new system was “functioning normally” at most crossings.

Lengthy delays were reported at some border crossings following the 10 April full implementation date, and the Greek authorities announced the suspension of EES registration for British visitors to Greece. There were reports in early May that other EU member states were partially suspending the implementation of the system or considering more flexible implementation.

The European Commission said in early May 2026 that “blanket exemptions for nationals of specific third countries and for an extended period of time” were not permitted under EES rules, and it was “in contact with Greece to clarify the situation and recall the existing rules”. Later in the month, the Greek Government said there would not be a specific exemption for British citizens but that EES processing could be partially suspended at certain border crossings for temporary periods during “periods of high passenger traffic” in accordance with the EU rules.

Calls for flexible implementation

Several airlines and airport and aviation bodies have called for EES implementation to be suspended or relaxed. At the beginning of July 2026, European aviation bodies wrote to the European Commission calling on it to provide member states with all the flexibility needed to “completely suspend EES” whenever passenger volume exceeded the operational capacity of border control facilities, referring to “unsustainable pressure” at airport border controls.

They also called on the Commission to work with member states and industry to establish a permanent mechanism to enable EES processing to be suspended “under clearly defined exceptional circumstances”.

The governments of nine EU member states also wrote to the European Commission later in July 2026 calling for the safeguard mechanism, which allows for the partial suspension of EES in its first few months of operation, to be extended beyond September, when it is due to expire. The letter referred to “significant difficulties” in EES implementation.

The UK Government said in July 2026 that it was working closely with the EU, member states and industry, and particularly with the French authorities in relation to the three UK border crossings implementing EES (see below) “to advocate for the pragmatic use of the flexibilities available within the legislation to minimise disruption for UK citizens”. It said it was also engaging with member states to encourage them to take up use of the EES “Travel to Europe” app.

Impact on border checkpoints in the UK

EES will operate at the Port of Dover and Eurostar and Eurotunnel terminals in the UK. The UK Government has reciprocal agreements with France that allows the French authorities to operate border checks at these UK departure points into the EU.

Operators of services at these points have expressed concerns about the impact of EES, and its potential to increase delays at border checkpoints, with the logistics of EES registration for those travelling in vehicles seen as particularly challenging.

Extensive preparations have taken place at these border points, with the UK Government announcing additional financial support for these preparations in August 2024. Kiosks for the purpose of EES registration have been installedat both St Pancras station in London (for Eurostar) and the Eurotunnel terminal in Folkestone . This will mean passengers getting out of their cars to register at the Eurotunnel terminal.

The Port of Dover will operate a similar registration process to the Eurotunnel terminal, with drivers and passengers of vehicles having to get out of their vehicles and register at kiosks. This will take place at a new EES processing site at the Western docks. The Port is not going ahead with an earlier plan to use tablets for registration which would be passed inside vehicles so passengers wouldn’t have to get out.

EES is being phased in at these UK border crossings. EES registration began for coach passengers and freight traffic at Eurotunnel from 12 October 2025, with processing for other vehicle drivers and passengers beginning at a later date. The Port of Dover also began EES registration for coach and foot passengers on 12 October, with the Port indicating that registration for travellers in cars would be introduced in November 2025. Eurostar also registered a small number of travellers initially for EES, with the system to be phased in for all travellers later.

However, EES registration had still not been fully implemented for most travellers at the three UK border crossings on 10 April 2026 with operators at these crossings referring to delays in connecting with the operational software on the French side of the border. As school holidays began in July 2026, travellers at the Port of Dover and Eurotunnel terminal were being manually registered for EES but without biometric details being taken as software for the system was still not connected. EES kiosks at St Pancras were also not yet fully operational.

The UK Government has warned of longer waits at these border crossings, and at arrival points in the EU/Schengen area. In late March 2026, it advised travellers to allow more time for border crossings and said it was “engag[ing] with the European Commission on taking steps to help minimise disruption for Brits as much as possible”.

EES and Schengen rules on short stays

EES data will be used for ensuring compliance with the rules of the Schengen area on entry and permitted length of stays. It will record overstayers, and refusals of entry.  

Schengen rules restrict visitors who are not nationals of EU or Schengen countries to short stays of 90 days within a 180-day period. For longer stays, non-EU/non-Schengen nationals would have to apply for longer-stay visas in line with the national rules of the member state they wish to stay in.

The UK and Ireland have a Common Travel Area, operating separately to Schengen. This has continued since Brexit. Ireland will not be operating either EES or the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) (see below). But as they are EU citizens, neither of these systems will apply to Irish passport-holders when travelling to EU or Schengen countries.

European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS)

EES will work in conjunction with the new ETIAS authorisation system, which has also been delayed repeatedly. Following the introduction of EES, ETIAS had been scheduled for implementation in late 2026. However, according to a report in July 2026, it was likely to be postponed again. The EU ETIAS webpage previously stated it was scheduled for introduction in late 2026 but was amended in July 2026 to say that the EU will communicate the specific start date for ETIAS “several months prior to its launch”.

ETIAS will apply to British and other non-EU/non Schengen country citizens travelling to all EU member states , with the exception of Ireland. It will also apply for travel to the four non-EU Schengen countries.

The EU has a list of countries (which includes the UK) whose citizens do not need a visa to travel to the EU/Schengen area for short stays within the rolling 90 days in 180 days limit. The ETIAS travel authorisation is required for citizens of all countries that have such a visa-waiver to travel to the EU/Schengen area. Again, this does not apply to UK-Ireland travel as there is a Common Travel Area between the two.

Applications for an ETIAS authorisation will be made online or via a mobile app. Applicants will be checked against EU information systems for borders and security. According to the European Commission, a travel authorisation will be issued within minutes in most cases. However, some applicants may require further checks, which could delay authorisation for up to 30 days.

The ETIAS authorisation will last for three years (after which it will need to be renewed for future visits), or until the holder’s passport expires (whichever is sooner). It will cost €20 for people aged 18 to 70. However, it will be free for under-18s and over-70s. The European Commission announced an increase from the originally planned fee of €7 in July 2025.

UK nationals and their family members who have rights to reside in the EU under the Withdrawal Agreement (that is, they were resident in an EU member state at the end of the Brexit transition period on 31 December 2020) are exempt from ETIAS. They can travel to other EU/Schengen countries without an ETIAS authorisation as long as they hold documents proving their status.

Other non-EU nationals are also exempt if they are holders of resident permits for any country using ETIAS.

The ETIAS system is similar to the ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorization) system for travel to the USA, where visitors pay a one-off fee (currently $40.27) for a travel authorisation which lasts for two years. 

The UK Government has also introduced a similar system for non-UK travellers to the UK, the Electronic Travel Authorisation (costing £20 for a two-year authorisation). This was applicable to visitors from the EU from 2 April 2025.

Further reading

Further details on the EES system can be found on the EU webpage on EES.  See in particular the European Commission FAQs on EES  

For further details on ETIAS see the European Commission webpage and FAQs on ETIAS.

See also UK Government guidance, EU Entry/Exit System

A background briefing on EES and ETIAS and preparations being undertaken by operators at UK borders was provided as an appendix to a letter from the Chair of the House of Lords Justice and Home Affairs Committee to the Minister of State for Legal Migration and the Border (PDF) on 20 May 2024. This also includes a list of conclusions and recommendations.

Further information on issues relating to travel to the EU, short-stays and living and working in the EU can be found in the Commons Library briefing, After Brexit: Visiting, working, and living in the EU.

For further details on the UK’s Electronic Travel Authorisation system, see Home Office, Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) factsheet – April 2026. See also section 3.3 of Commons Library briefing, After Brexit: Visiting, working, and living in the EU