The EU Entry/Exit System (EES), explained.

What happens at the border

Your first entry

The first time you enter a country that uses the EES, your passport is scanned, your photo is taken and, if you're 12 or older, four fingerprints are scanned. At many airports you do part of this at a self-service kiosk before seeing a border officer. The officer may still ask about your trip, where you're staying and whether you have enough money for it.

Expect this first registration to take longer than the old stamp, and leave extra time at busy airports and ports.

Every trip after that

You're already in the system, so the check is quicker: usually a face or fingerprint match against your record. Each entry and exit is logged with the date and place.

If you refuse

Giving your biometrics is a condition of entry. If you refuse, you can be turned away.

Who has to register

The EES covers non-EU nationals coming for a short stay (up to 90 days in any 180-day period), whether or not they need a visa. That includes British, American, Canadian and Australian travellers.

It doesn't apply to:

• citizens of EU countries, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland;
• people with a residence permit or a long-stay (national) visa for a Schengen country;
• certain family members of EU citizens who hold a residence card.

Where it's used

The EES runs at the external borders of the 29 Schengen countries, the same countries where the 90/180 rule applies. Cyprus and Ireland don't use it.

If you travel from the UK through Dover, the Folkestone Channel Tunnel terminal or Eurostar at London St Pancras, French border checks happen before you leave, so that's where you'll register.

What it records, and for how long

• your name and passport details;
• a face image, and fingerprints if you're 12 or older;
• the date and place of each entry and exit;
• any refusal of entry.

Your record is normally kept for three years after your last exit. If no exit is recorded, for example after an overstay, it's kept for five years.

What it means for your 90 days

The rule itself is unchanged: up to 90 days in any rolling 180-day period, across all 29 countries, with entry and exit days counting as full days. (Our 90/180 rule guide explains the count step by step.)

What changed is how it's checked. With stamps, an officer had to read faded ink and add up dates by hand, and mistakes went both ways. The EES calculates the days from its own records, so at the border it's clear whether you have days left, and an overstay is flagged automatically when you leave.

Make sure your exit is recorded

The system only knows you've left if your exit is logged. Leave through a staffed border crossing and go through the exit check. If your exit is missing, you can look like an overstayer.

Keep your own record

The EES is the authorities' record, not yours. Keeping your own list of trip dates lets you plan ahead and spot a problem before you travel, not at the border.

EES and ETIAS are different things

The EES is a record made at the border. ETIAS is a separate online travel authorisation that visa-free visitors will need to get before travelling. It hasn't started yet: the EU says it will announce the start date several months in advance. (See ETIAS vs Schengen visa.) Neither system gives you extra days or changes the 90/180 rule.

Questions

What is the EES?

The Entry/Exit System is the EU's digital border record for non-EU visitors on short stays. It registers your passport details, a face image and fingerprints, and logs every entry and exit instead of stamping your passport.

Does the EES change the 90/180 rule?

No. The limit is still 90 days in any 180-day period. The EES counts your days automatically from its own records, so an overstay is flagged without anyone reading passport stamps.

Do I need to apply or pay for the EES before I travel?

No. There's no application and no fee. You register at the border the first time you enter a country that uses the EES.

Do children have to give fingerprints?

Children under 12 don't give fingerprints, but their face image and passport details are recorded.

How long does the EES keep my data?

Normally three years after your last recorded exit. If no exit is recorded, for example after an overstay, it's kept for five years.

Is the EES the same as ETIAS?

No. The EES is a record made at the border. ETIAS is a separate online travel authorisation for visa-free visitors that hasn't started yet. Neither one gives you extra days.