by Lacey Pfalz
Last updated: 12:05 AM ET, Fri April 10, 2026
The European Union’s new digital Entry/Exit System (EES for short) launched on April 10 across the 29-country Schengen Area—so what should travelers heading to Europe know about the new program?
EES began being implemented by airport in October, 2025, with mixed reviews. The biometric program, which is expected to replace traditional passport stamping and ease lines at entry points, has been creating four to five times longer wait times at some airports in Europe.
A report from February found that some wait times to enter a European country via airport were around three hours long, with reasons for the longer wait attributed to less border security officials and technical issues with the system.
What You Should Know Before You Go
Regardless, the new EES is now a requirement for all non-Schengen or non-EU passport holders, including travelers from the United States.
- It does not require paying an entry fee.
- Upon landing at a participating airport, EES requires border officials to scan a travelers’ fingerprints and/or photograph their face. This can be done via kiosk or app.
- Some countries may further offer automated systems, with a self-service option that includes a biometric kiosk followed by a check by a border control officer.
- Children under 12 years of age will not be fingerprinted.
- Travelers are required to go through EES for any stay up to 90 days within a 180-day period.
- The biometric information will be stored, which should make entering other European Union countries easier and faster for travelers.
Why EES Is Being Implemented
Beyond hopefully speeding up entry into Europe, the EES will also be able to identify travelers who pose potential security risks to Europe, such as international criminals, according to the European Commission for Migration and Home Affairs.
Since the EES’s rollout in October, 2025, the system has registered over 45 million border crossings. Only 24,000 travelers were refused entry for different reasons, which might include expired or forged documentation. The system also identified over 600 people who posed a security risk to Europe, who were then refused entry and recorded within the system, which would automatically reject them upon trying to enter any country using the Entry/Exit System.
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