Short answer: If you are a non-EU national travelling for a short stay to one of the 29 countries using the Entry/Exit System (EES), border authorities will generally need to record or verify your passport details, facial image and biometric data. The EES became fully operational on 10 April 2026, replacing passport stamps with an electronic record of entries, exits and refusals of entry (see Entry/Exit System (EES)).
Visa exemption does not mean exemption from the EES. Conversely, people with residence permits, long-stay visas or certain special statuses may not need to register in the EES if they present the correct documents. The EES also does not replace ordinary entry requirements such as a valid passport, the purpose of the trip and the permitted length of stay.
Determine whether the EES applies to you
Before travelling, check four factors in order: your nationality, the type of visa or residence document you hold, the purpose of your trip and your entry point. The EES primarily applies to non-EU nationals entering countries that use the system for short stays of up to 90 days in any 180-day period. This includes both people who need a short-stay Schengen visa and those who are visa-exempt.
The EES is being implemented in 29 European countries. Ireland and Cyprus do not use the EES, so procedures in those two countries differ from those in countries currently using the system.
Groups commonly exempt from registration
According to the official list, the EES does not apply to the following main groups (see To whom does the EES not apply?):
- Nationals of the European countries using the EES, as well as nationals of Ireland and Cyprus.
- Non-EU nationals holding a residence permit or long-stay visa issued by a country using the EES. Permits or long-stay visas issued by Ireland or Cyprus are subject to separate rules and may still result in EES registration when the holder crosses the border of a country using the system.
- Nationals of Andorra, Monaco and San Marino, and holders of passports issued by the Vatican City State or the Holy See.
- Certain close family members of EU citizens who hold the appropriate residence card; in some cases, family members of non-EU nationals with freedom-of-movement rights equivalent to those of EU citizens are also exempt if they hold the corresponding residence documents.
- Certain people exempt from border checks or entitled to diplomatic privileges, such as heads of state, accredited diplomats and cross-border workers.
- Certain military personnel, NATO civilian staff and their dependants, holders of local border-traffic permits, crew members of international trains and people using special rail-transit documents.
Family members of EU citizens are not automatically exempt. For example, a non-EU spouse with an appropriate residence card issued by France may be exempt; a spouse without that residence document is not automatically exempt. If you believe you qualify for an exemption, bring the original residence permit, residence card or document proving the family relationship and present it if requested.
What happens at the border if the EES applies?
The EES may store details from your travel document, the date and place of entry, the date and place of exit, your facial image, fingerprints and information about any refusal of entry (see Data held by the EES). Follow these steps:
- Join the correct line for inspection. If you are a non-EU national, do not move to an EU-citizen gate simply because you are travelling with someone who holds an EU passport. Follow the signs and instructions from border staff at the crossing.
- Present your passport and relevant documents. Have details of your accommodation, return or onward ticket, insurance and documents proving the purpose of your trip ready if border staff request them. These are separate entry requirements and are not replaced by the EES.
- Allow the system to record or verify your facial image. You may be asked to look at a device and remove sunglasses or anything covering your face. Border staff decide how the process is carried out at the specific crossing.
- Provide or have your fingerprints verified when requested. If an EES record is being created for you for the first time, you may need to provide fingerprints. If you hold a short-stay Schengen visa, your fingerprints have already been stored in the Visa Information System (VIS) and are generally not stored again in the EES; border authorities may still verify your identity and carry out any necessary checks.
- Wait for confirmation that the process is complete. Leave the inspection area only after a staff member gives you permission. Biometric scanning does not automatically guarantee entry; the final decision also depends on your passport, visa, purpose of travel and the applicable conditions.
You do not need to have your fingerprints taken before travelling. You should also avoid sending your passport image or biometric data to unofficial intermediary services. The Travel to Europe app, if available at the relevant border crossing, may allow people subject to the EES to pre-register some passport details and a facial image. The app does not replace border checks, and not every crossing supports it (see Travel to Europe mobile app).
If it is physically impossible to take your fingerprints, tell border staff immediately. A temporary inability may be recorded so that your fingerprints can be taken on a later exit or entry; a permanent physical inability may exempt you from the fingerprint requirement. This is different from refusing to cooperate. If you have no valid grounds for exemption and still refuse to provide biometric data, you may be refused entry (see Data held by the EES).
Check your permitted stay before departure
The EES records entry and exit dates instead of passport stamps, but it does not change the length-of-stay limit. If you are travelling for a short stay, you must still comply with the maximum of 90 days in any 180-day period.
To estimate how many days you have left, use the official Check how long you can stay tool. It asks for your destination country, the type and number of your travel document, the country that issued it, and your planned entry or exit date.
The tool only helps calculate your permitted stay; it is not an entry permit. Official guidance also notes that travel data for trips beginning before 10 April 2026 may not yet be fully reflected. For single- or double-entry visas, an “OK” result may not be reliable through 6 October 2026 if use of the visa during 12 October 2025–9 April 2026 has not been recorded in the system (see Check how long you can stay).
Pre-departure airport checklist:
- Check whether your first country of entry uses the EES.
- Determine whether your trip involves a short stay or falls under a residence permit or long-stay visa.
- If you believe you are exempt from the EES, carry the original documents proving your exemption.
- Check that your passport is intact and that the information on your ticket, visa, insurance documents and accommodation details is consistent.
- Allow extra time at the border, especially if your EES record is being created for the first time or you are travelling with children or older adults.
- Record your actual entry date and planned departure date from the EES area; then verify them using a stay-duration calculator.
If you are recorded as having overstayed, the consequences depend on the law of the country concerned and may include a requirement to leave, an administrative fine, detention or an impact on future entry. If the overstay resulted from force majeure or mitigating circumstances, such as hospitalisation, keep supporting documents and contact the competent border or immigration authority to request a review.
In summary, the right way to prepare is to: check your EES status before travelling, carry all documents proving your status, cooperate with photographing and fingerprint checks at the border if requested, and monitor your own permitted stay. If you discover that information has been misunderstood before the checks are completed, ask the border officer to review your passport and documents rather than leaving the control area on your own.
Reference source
- Entry/Exit System (EES) — European Commission.
- The Entry/Exit System is fully operational since 10 April 2026. Who is exempt? — European Commission.
- To whom does the EES not apply? — Travel to Europe.
- Data held by the EES — Travel to Europe.
- Check how long you can stay — Travel to Europe.
