EES and ETIAS: what changed at the border

The EES has run at every external Schengen border since 10 April 2026. What it records, who is exempt, and what changes when ETIAS starts at the end of 2026.

The EU border is changing twice within a year: first the passport stamps disappeared, then a paid travel authorisation arrives. The first has already happened, the second has not. Here is what is in force now and what to expect.

EES: operational since 10 April 2026

The Entry/Exit System registers non-EU nationals crossing the external Schengen border for short stays. Ukrainians are among them.

The rollout began on 12 October 2025 and proceeded in stages. On 10 April 2026 the system became fully operational in all 29 Schengen countries — the European Commission confirmed this officially. The paper stamp has been abolished: entry and exit are now recorded in a database instead.

What is recorded

EES registration captures:

• travel document data;
• a facial image and fingerprints;
• the date and place of every entry and exit.

Fingerprints are not taken from children under 12 — only their facial image is recorded.

Data is kept for three years after the last exit. Where an overstay or a refusal of entry is recorded, it is kept for five years.

Who is exempt

Registration does not apply to everyone. According to the Commission's clarification of 27 July 2026, the following are exempt:

• holders of a residence permit or a long-stay visa issued by a country operating the EES;
• family members of EU citizens who hold a residence card or residence permit;
• nationals of Andorra, Monaco and San Marino, and holders of Vatican passports.

For Ukrainians this is the main practical exemption: if you live in the EU on a residence permit, you are not registered as a short-stay visitor, although you go through the ordinary border check just the same.

The first crossing takes longer than the rest

The first registration collects biometrics, and it takes longer than subsequent crossings, where the system only has to match you against an existing record.

We do not attribute any specific growth in queues to this system, and we will not do so without measurements. Our own 60-day data shows that two things drive queue length hardest, and both are under your control: the day of the week (Saturday is one and a half times heavier than an average weekday) and the hour of the day (at night the queue is a median 0.42 of the daytime queue). The methodology is described separately in How we calculate waiting times.

The practical conclusion is the same as before the EES: the hour you set out decides more than anything else.

What the EES does not change

There is more confusion around the system than there are actual changes. So, separately: visa-free travel remains visa-free, and the EES neither abolishes nor replaces it. Registration is free — you pay nothing at the border and nothing online. No prior authorisation is needed: registration happens at the crossing point during the check. The system requires no application, no form and no appointment.

Three things changed: stamps were replaced by an electronic record, biometrics were added, and the length of stay is now counted by the system.

90/180 is now counted by machine

The rule — no more than 90 days in any 180 — has not changed. What changed is who counts. Previously the length of stay was reconstructed from stamps; now the system keeps the tally, and overstays are detected automatically.

If you travel to the EU often, work out your remaining days in advance. A miscalculation will no longer go unnoticed.

ETIAS: expected in the last quarter of 2026

ETIAS is a travel authorisation that visa-exempt travellers will obtain in advance, before departure. It is not a visa, but once the system is live you cannot start the trip without it.

What is officially known so far:

Most applications are decided within minutes. If an application is set aside for checks, the decision can take up to four days, and longer if additional documents or an interview are requested.

A transitional period follows the launch: in the first months, travellers without an ETIAS will not be turned back at the border provided the other entry conditions are met. The transitional dates depend on the actual start date, so watch for the announcement.

Beware of intermediaries

Applications go only through the official EU channel — europa.eu/etias. Intermediary sites charge extra for the same thing, and some simply harvest personal data. The official price is EUR 20, and no paid "fast track" exists.

What to do now

1. Check your passport: valid for at least three months after your return and not older than ten years.
2. Count your remaining days within the 90/180 window — the system now counts them too.
3. If you hold an EU residence permit, bring it: it is the document that exempts you from EES registration.
4. Plan your departure by hour and day of the week rather than at random: that remains the strongest lever on time spent queueing.

Sources: European Commission — Migration and Home Affairs, and the official portal travel-europe.europa.eu. This page was updated on 14 August 2026; when the exact ETIAS start date is announced, we will update it and state the new date.

What to take with you is covered in Documents for crossing the border.

Page updated 2026-08-14 · Editor: Anna Wiśniewska