EES and ETIAS: what's actually in force for travel to Europe

As of September 2026, one of the EU's two new border systems is in force and the other isn't. The Entry/Exit System (EES) has been fully operational since 10 April 2026: if you're not an EU citizen and you visit Europe for a short stay, your face and fingerprints are registered at the border and your passport is no longer stamped. ETIAS, the online travel authorisation, is not running yet. The EU isn't taking applications and hasn't set a start date; it says it will announce one several months before launch.

The Entry/Exit System (EES): in force now

Who it applies to: non-EU nationals on a short stay (up to 90 days in any 180) in the 29 European countries using it, whether or not they need a visa. That includes travellers from the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia.

Where: the external borders of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. Cyprus and Ireland don't use the EES and still stamp passports.

Who it doesn't apply to: citizens of those countries and of Cyprus and Ireland; holders of a residence permit or long-stay visa; and some other groups, such as certain family members of EU citizens and people exempt from border checks.

What happens at the border

1. Your first entry since the EES started: a passport control officer takes a photo of your face and, if you don't need a visa, scans four fingerprints. Children under 12 aren't fingerprinted. Your passport isn't stamped.
2. Later crossings: your face and fingerprints are already on file, so officers only check them, which the EU says takes less time.
3. Faster options:
   • Self-service kiosks, where available, work with a biometric passport. You don't need a biometric passport to enter; it only matters for the kiosks.
   • The EU's official mobile app lets travellers with a biometric passport pre-register up to 72 hours before crossing. For now it only works when entering Sweden (passport data, face and questionnaire) and Portugal (entry questionnaire).
4. The 90-day rule is now tracked electronically across all 29 countries, and overstays are recorded automatically.

EES and connecting flights

You're registered when you enter or leave the Schengen area, not on every flight. If you only change planes between two flights from and to outside the Schengen area, and stay in the international transit area, you don't cross that border. Amsterdam Schiphol, for example, confirms these passengers don't register. On a connection from outside Europe to a flight within the Schengen area, you register at the first airport, so allow time for passport control there. See Amsterdam Schiphol and Paris-Charles de Gaulle.

ETIAS: announced, not running

What it will be: an online travel authorisation that visa-exempt travellers need before visiting 30 European countries (the 29 above plus Cyprus).

Who will need it: nationals of visa-exempt countries, including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Brazil and Argentina. EU citizens won't.

What's official about it:

Until the EU announces a date, you don't need to do anything for ETIAS. Any site asking you to pay for an ETIAS authorisation today isn't processing a real application.

Plan the border into your trip

Passport control can take longer while travellers register for the first time. Add your flights to FlyingOver before you travel: you'll see status and gate changes while you're online and follow your flight offline in the air, so you know how much of your connection time is left when you land.