The passport stamp is gone. Since 10 April 2026, anyone from outside the EU who arrives in Europe for a short stay has their face photographed and four fingerprints scanned the first time they cross, and a computer, not an ink stamp, now counts their days. It affects almost every non-EU visitor: British, American, Canadian, Australian and Gulf travellers alike, with or without a visa. The first months were rough. Airports in fifteen countries reported waits of two to three hours or more at peak times in April, and figures reported by the Financial Times put the average wait at Frankfurt in July at two hours, double the year before. Meanwhile ETIAS, the online permit that was supposed to follow, has slipped again and no longer has a start date. This guide covers what actually happens at the border, who has to register and who does not, how to stay out of the worst queues, the 90-day rule that is now counted automatically, what is happening with ETIAS, the crossings that run from the UK, and the part nobody covers: what your phone needs to do before you join the line.
What the Entry/Exit System is, in plain words
The Entry/Exit System, usually shortened to EES, is a digital register of every short-stay visitor from outside the EU who enters or leaves the Schengen area, Europe's border-free zone. It records your passport details, a photo of your face, your fingerprints, and the date and place of every entry and exit.
It replaced the passport stamp. Border officers used to count your days by flicking through stamps; the system now does that itself and flags anyone who stays too long. It switched on gradually from 12 October 2025 and became fully operational on 10 April 2026. By that date it had already logged more than 52 million entries and exits and over 27,000 refusals of entry, according to the European Commission.
It runs in the 29 Schengen countries: every EU member except Ireland and Cyprus, plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. Registering costs nothing, and once you are in the system your record lasts three years from your last crossing, so later trips are quicker.
- Replaces the passport stamp with a digital record of each entry and exit
- Fully operational since 10 April 2026, after a gradual start from 12 October 2025
- Used by 29 countries: the EU except Ireland and Cyprus, plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland
- Free, with no form to fill in before you go
- Your record is kept for three years after your last crossing, or five if you overstay
Who has to register, and who doesn't
If you hold a passport from outside the EU and you are visiting for a short stay, you register. It makes no difference whether you need a visa: a British or American tourist who enters visa-free goes through it, and so does a visitor from the Gulf travelling on a Schengen visa.
Citizens of EU countries are exempt, and so are citizens of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. So are people from outside the EU who live in one of the 29 countries on a residence permit or a long-stay visa, because they are not short-stay visitors.
Children register too. Everyone has a face photo taken, but fingerprints are only taken from age 12, so a family with younger children gives fewer prints than it expects, and the parents' fingerprints are the slow part.
What happens at the border the first time
Your first crossing after the system started is the long one. Your passport is scanned, a camera takes a photo of your face, and four fingerprints are scanned from one hand, without the thumb. You may also be asked a few questions about the trip, such as where you are staying and when you plan to leave.
At many airports the first part happens at a self-service kiosk before you reach the officer, so the queue often splits into a kiosk line and a desk line. The EU's target for a registration is 70 seconds. Airlines say the reality is slower: their association, IATA, says a standard passport check now takes about 90 seconds, against 20 to 25 seconds before the system started.
After that, it is quicker. For three years from your last crossing the system already knows you, and at most crossings the check is a face or fingerprint match rather than a full registration.
- Passport scanned at a kiosk or the desk
- Face photographed, at any age
- Four fingerprints from one hand, from age 12
- A few questions about your stay, which you may be asked
- Later trips within three years: a quick face or fingerprint match
The queues: what happened, and how to stay out of the worst
In April, ACI Europe, which speaks for Europe's airports, reported waits of two to three hours or more at peak times in fifteen countries, and some passengers missed connecting flights. Figures from a queue-monitoring firm, reported by the Financial Times, put the average wait at Frankfurt in July at two hours, against one hour in July 2025, with peaks of two hours at Amsterdam.
Over the summer, countries were allowed to pause the fingerprint and photo step for up to six hours at a time when queues became excessive, while still recording every entry and exit digitally. Paris and Amsterdam were among the airports that used it. That allowance formally ended on 6 September. Since then, reports say the European Commission will not take action against nine countries that are still not running the checks in full: Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal and Switzerland. In practice you may still find the checks paused at busy times there, but plan as if you will go through the full process.
The pattern is predictable. The first trip is the slow one, peak arrival waves are the worst, and a queue at passport control does not care that your connecting flight is boarding.
- Do not book the minimum connection time when your first stop inside Europe has passport control
- Leave extra time before flights home: you are checked on the way out as well
- Expect the first trip after the system started to be the slowest
- Children under 12 give no fingerprints, so families move faster than they fear
- If your airport supports it, pre-register in the official Travel to Europe app up to 72 hours before you travel
Leaving counts too
The system records exits as well as entries, because that is how it knows how long you stayed. So on the way home there is a border check too, and on a busy morning it can be as slow as the one on arrival.
The practical rule is simple: give your flight home the same margin you would give the outbound one. If you are taking a train or a ferry out of Europe, the same applies at the station or the port.
The 90-day rule is now counted by a computer
Under the Schengen rules, visitors from outside the EU can stay up to 90 days in any 180-day period across the 29 countries, all added together. That rule is not new. What is new is who counts. A stamp-based count missed things; a digital register does not.
The 180 days roll. On any day you are in Europe, the system looks back over the previous 180 days and adds up every day you spent in any of the 29 countries. Visits in the six months before your trip count against your 90. Ireland and Cyprus are outside this count, because they are not in the Schengen area.
Overstays are now flagged automatically, and an overstay can count against you on future trips. If you split long stays across the year, as many second-home owners and long-term travellers do, the EU's official short-stay calculator will check your dates for you before you book.
ETIAS: the 20-euro permit that isn't here yet
ETIAS is a separate thing: an online travel permit that visitors who do not need a visa will have to get before they fly, much like the American ESTA. It will apply to passport holders from the UK, the US, Canada, Australia and the UAE, among many others.
It is not live. You cannot apply for it yet, and you do not need it to travel now. In July 2026 the EU removed the last-quarter-of-2026 launch window from its official ETIAS page, and no new date has been set; 2027 is the most likely start. The Commission has committed to giving several months' notice before launch, followed by a grace period.
When it does start, it will cost 20 euros, free for under-18s and over-70s, and last three years or until your passport expires, whichever comes first.
One warning while you wait. Because the official system is not taking applications, any website that takes money for an ETIAS today is not the EU. The only official source is the EU's Travel to Europe website.
- Not live, and not needed for travel today
- No start date set; 2027 is the most likely
- 20 euros when it launches, free under 18 and over 70
- Valid three years, or until your passport expires
- Any site charging for an ETIAS now is not official
Dover, Eurostar and Eurotunnel: the checks happen in the UK
If you leave Britain by ferry from Dover, by Eurostar from London, or by Eurotunnel from Folkestone, the French border check takes place in the UK before you depart, and that is where the system registers you. So the extra time is needed at the port or the station, not on arrival in France.
Allow for it the way you would for a flight: get to the terminal earlier than you used to, especially on your first crossing since the system started, and especially in school holidays.
The part nobody mentions: your phone
Spend two hours in a passport queue and you find out what your phone is for. You tell your driver you are running late, message the hotel, move an onward train, and rebook a missed connection in the airline's app. If your airport supports it, the Travel to Europe app lets you pre-register up to 72 hours before you travel.
None of that works if your phone is offline, and for most visitors from outside the EU, roaming in Europe is not free. The EU's roam-like-at-home rules cover phone plans from the EU and the wider European Economic Area, not from the UK, the US or the Gulf. Since Brexit, most of the big UK networks charge a daily fee for using your phone in the EU, although a few plans still include it; many American plans charge by the day; Gulf networks sell roaming bundles. Check yours before you go.
A travel eSIM avoids the question. Install it at home over Wi-Fi and leave the line switched off; nothing counts down until it first connects. When the plane lands, switch it on, and you are online before you reach passport control.
For this trip specifically, every one of the 29 countries running the new checks is on our 33-destination Europe plan, along with Ireland, Cyprus and the UK, and at 1, 3 and 5 GB it costs no more than a one-country plan in most of Europe. A queue needs messages and maps rather than video, so a small plan covers a short trip.
- Put the eSIM on your phone at home, on Wi-Fi, in the days before departure
- Switch it on when the plane lands, before passport control
- Turn off data roaming on your usual line so it cannot add a daily charge
- Save boarding passes and bookings offline as a backup
- Pick a plan whose coverage list includes every country on your route
EES prep at home: ten minutes that save hours
Every item below is quicker at home than in a queue, and all of it is cheaper than a missed flight.
- Passport: British travellers need one issued less than 10 years before the day they arrive and valid for at least 3 months after the day they plan to leave
- Days: count your last 180 days in the 29 countries before booking a long stay
- ETIAS: nothing to do yet, and nothing to pay
- Pre-registration: if your airport supports the Travel to Europe app, use it within 72 hours of travel
- Time: no tight connections, and extra time before flights home
- Phone: install your eSIM, keep the line off until you land, and save your bookings offline
Frequently asked questions
What is the EES in Europe?
The Entry/Exit System is the EU's digital register of short-stay visitors from outside the EU. It records your passport details, a face photo, four fingerprints and the date and place of each entry and exit, and it replaced the passport stamp. It runs in 29 countries: the EU except Ireland and Cyprus, plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.
When did the EES start?
It switched on gradually from 12 October 2025 and became fully operational across all 29 countries on 10 April 2026. Since then every non-EU short-stay visitor is registered at the border, and passports are no longer stamped.
Do UK citizens have to register for EES?
Yes. Since Brexit, British passport holders visiting for a short stay are registered like any other non-EU visitor: a face photo, four fingerprints from age 12, and a check of the 90-day limit. If you live in one of the 29 countries on a residence permit, you are not registered as a short-stay visitor.
Do I need to register for EES before I travel?
No. Registration happens at the border, and there is no form to fill in or fee to pay beforehand. At some airports you can choose to pre-register your passport details and photo in the EU's official Travel to Europe app up to 72 hours before you travel, which can shorten the check.
How long does EES registration take?
The EU's target is 70 seconds per traveller, but airlines say a standard check now takes about 90 seconds, against 20 to 25 seconds before. The queue is what costs time: at peak periods, waits of two to three hours or more were reported at airports in fifteen countries in April.
Do children have to give fingerprints for EES?
Only from age 12. Children of any age are registered and have a face photo taken, but children under 12 give no fingerprints.
Does EES apply in Ireland and Cyprus?
No. They are the two EU countries that do not use the system, and they are also outside the Schengen area, so days spent there do not count toward the 90-day limit.
Do I need ETIAS to travel to Europe now?
No. ETIAS is not live, no applications are being taken, and no start date has been set; 2027 is the most likely. The Commission has promised several months' notice and a grace period. Any website charging for an ETIAS today is not the official EU system.
How much will ETIAS cost?
20 euros, free for under-18s and over-70s, and valid for three years or until your passport expires, whichever comes first. You will apply online through the EU's official Travel to Europe website once it launches.
How does EES count the 90/180-day rule?
On any day you are in Europe, it looks back over the previous 180 days and adds up every day you spent in any of the 29 countries. The total cannot go over 90. Visits in the six months before your trip count, overstays are flagged automatically, and the EU's official short-stay calculator will check your dates in advance.
Do I have to register again on every trip?
No. Your record lasts three years from your last crossing, and within that time most crossings are a quick face or fingerprint match rather than a full registration. If you do not cross for three years, you register again.
Is there an official EES app?
Yes, the Travel to Europe app, made for the EU by its border agency Frontex. It lets you pre-register your passport details and a face photo up to 72 hours before you travel, but only at border points that have chosen to use it; Sweden was the first. The up-to-date list is on the EU's official EES website.
Will I need mobile data at the EES border check?
Not for the check itself, but you will want it in the queue: to tell your transfer or hotel you are late, move an onward train, or rebook a missed connection. Phone plans from outside the EU are not covered by EU roaming rules, so set up a travel eSIM before you leave home and turn it on once the plane is on the ground; it connects before you reach the desk.
How early should I get to the airport because of EES?
Earlier than you used to, especially on your first trip since the system started and at peak times. Avoid minimum connection times when your first stop inside Europe has passport control, and give your flight home extra time as well, because exits are checked too.