# EES at the Schengen Border: Fingerprints, a Face Scan, No More Stamps (2026)

*By the Editorial Team · Last updated 10 October 2026*

As of 10 October 2026. This page is informational, not legal advice. Border procedures can vary by crossing point and change by regulation. Verify with the EU's official [EES website](https://travel-europe.europa.eu/ees) and the border authority of the country you enter.

Since 10 April 2026, non-EU visitors entering 29 European countries for a short stay are registered in the Entry/Exit System instead of getting a passport stamp. Visa-exempt travelers give four fingerprints and a facial image; every entry and exit date is recorded. The system counts your 90 days in any 180 and flags an overstay automatically. Refuse the biometrics and you are refused entry.

| EES question | Answer, as of 10 October 2026 |
| --- | --- |
| What it replaces | Manual passport stamping for non-EU short-stay visitors |
| Live since | Rolled out from 12 October 2025; fully operational 10 April 2026 |
| Where | 29 countries: the Schengen area. Not Cyprus, not Ireland |
| Who is registered | Non-EU nationals on short stays, visa-exempt or with a short-stay visa |
| What is taken | Visa-exempt: 4 fingerprints and a facial image. Visa holders: facial image only |
| Children under 12 | Registered, but currently not fingerprinted |
| Before your trip | Nothing to apply for; registration happens at the border |
| Data kept | 3 years for entry and exit records; 5 years if no exit is recorded |

## What happens at the border now?

At your first crossing into an EES country your passport is scanned and four fingerprints plus a facial image are taken. Your entry date is logged. Later crossings check you against that record and log each entry and exit. Some borders have self-service kiosks; they need a biometric passport.

The first crossing is the registration. Your passport details go into the system with the biometrics, and from then on every crossing is a match against that file. Where kiosks exist you can do the data step yourself. The officer you see next already has your identity check on screen, along with your remaining days. The officer still asks the usual questions and still decides.

A biometric passport is only needed for the kiosks. The EU’s FAQ is explicit that valid non-biometric passports are still accepted at staffed lanes, and an older passport is not in itself a reason to refuse you.

The stamp is gone for most travelers in the 29 countries. Where a person is not subject to EES, a stamp can still appear: the EU’s guidance says a refusal of entry for someone outside the system is marked with a cancelled entry stamp.

## Who is registered in EES, and who is not?

EES registers non-EU nationals on short stays of up to 90 days in any 180, visa or no visa. EU nationals are not registered, Irish and Cypriot citizens included. Neither are residence-permit and long-stay visa holders, or nationals of Andorra, Monaco and San Marino.

Every visitor on the five passports this site covers (US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand) is registered. The legal exemption list, from Article 2(3) of the EES Regulation, is longer than most guides show. It includes:

- nationals of the countries using EES, plus Cyprus and Ireland;
- holders of residence permits and long-stay visas;
- non-EU family members of EU citizens who hold a residence card;
- nationals of Andorra, Monaco and San Marino, and holders of Vatican passports;
- people exempt from border checks, such as heads of state and accredited diplomats.

UK nationals covered by the Withdrawal Agreement are exempt only if they hold one of the specific residence documents the EU lists. Without one you are registered, and you can later ask for the data to be deleted by showing the document.

## How EES counts your 90 days

EES treats the 29 countries as one pool: at most 90 days in any 180-day window. Entry days count, and so do exit days. It calculates your remaining days at each crossing. Its online checker ignores any visit that began before 10 April 2026, though those days still count under the rule.

This is the part that trips up long-stay visitors. The EU’s “Check how long you can stay” tool states that the remaining stay it shows does not reflect any time spent in the area that began before 10 April 2026. The 90/180 rule did not start on that date; it simply was not recorded digitally before it. If you spent February and March 2026 in Portugal, the official tool can show more days than you legally have.

Count those trips yourself. Our [Schengen 90/180 calculator](/schengen/calculator/) takes every stay you enter, including pre-April ones. It returns the days used and your last legal day, plus the earliest date you can come back. It works the same way the rule does: the window moves daily, so days return one at a time as old ones drop out, not all at once after 90 days away.

Cyprus does not use EES and, per the EU’s ETIAS guidance, counts days separately from the other countries. Ireland is outside the area. Days in either do not touch the pool.

## What happens if you overstay?

EES flags you as an overstayer automatically and puts you on a list that border officers and visa staff can see. National law sets the penalty, from fines or removal up to a ban on returning. Credible proof of something unforeseeable, such as a hospital stay, can get the record corrected.

Before EES an overstay could go unnoticed until someone read the stamps closely. Now it is a database flag that follows you to every border and visa desk in the area. The EU’s FAQ names the consequences that can apply under national law and notes that an entry ban recorded in the Schengen Information System should not, in principle, exceed five years. If illness or another unforeseeable event kept you past your date, the EU says credible evidence to the authorities can get your data amended and you removed from the list. Keep the paperwork.

## What data EES keeps, and for how long

EES stores your passport data and your biometrics. It also logs the date and place of every crossing, plus any refusal. Entry and exit records are kept 3 years; your individual file 3 years and 1 day after your last exit; 5 years if no exit was recorded.

| Record | Kept for |
| --- | --- |
| Each crossing or refusal | 3 years from the date it was created |
| Your individual file | 3 years and 1 day from your last exit or refusal |
| No exit recorded | 5 years from the end of your authorised stay |
| Accompanying family members of EU citizens without residence documents | 1 year from the exit record |

After those periods the data is erased automatically. You can ask the country that entered your data for a copy, and for a correction or deletion; the EU’s EES site lists each country’s contact point.

## EES vs ETIAS: two systems, two moments

EES is the border registration that has run since 10 April 2026: no application, biometrics taken at the border. ETIAS is a pre-travel authorisation due in the last quarter of 2026: an online form and a EUR 20 fee before you fly, with no biometrics.

|   | EES | ETIAS |
| --- | --- | --- |
| What it is | Border registration of entries and exits | Online travel authorisation |
| When you deal with it | At the border, every crossing | Before the trip, every three years |
| Status, 10 October 2026 | Fully operational since 10 April 2026 | Not in operation; due last quarter of 2026 |
| Cost | No application or fee | EUR 20 (free under 18 and over 70) |
| Biometrics | Fingerprints and facial image | None |
| Countries | 29 Schengen states | 29 Schengen states plus Cyprus |

The full ETIAS rules, including what differs for UK travelers, are in our [ETIAS guide](/schengen/etias/).

## FAQ

### What is the purpose of the EES system?

The Entry/Exit System replaces passport stamping for non-EU nationals on short stays in 29 European countries. It records each crossing and any refusal digitally, with fingerprints and a facial image. It also calculates the 90-in-180-day limit and identifies people who overstay or use a false identity.

### What are the changes in EU border control?

Since 10 April 2026 the EES is fully operational at every external border of the 29 countries using it. Non-EU visitors no longer get a passport stamp; their entries and exits are recorded electronically with biometrics. ETIAS, a separate pre-travel authorisation costing EUR 20, is due in the last quarter of 2026.

### Do I need to do anything before my trip for EES?

No application is needed. Registration happens at the border of the first EES country you enter. Bring a valid passport; a biometric passport is needed only to use the self-service kiosks some borders have. Refusing to give fingerprints or a facial image means you will be refused entry.

### Do children have to give fingerprints for EES?

Children under 12 are currently not fingerprinted, according to the EU's EES FAQ, even though they are registered. Their facial image and travel document data are still recorded, and they count towards the 90-in-180-day limit like any other short-stay visitor.

### How long does the EES keep my data?

Each crossing or refusal record is kept for 3 years from the date it was created. Your individual file stays 3 years and 1 day after your last exit. If no exit is recorded, the data stays 5 years from the end of your authorised stay. It is then erased automatically.

## Sources

- [European Commission, “The Entry/Exit System will become fully operational on 10 April 2026”](https://home-affairs.ec.europa.eu/news/entryexit-system-will-become-fully-operational-10-april-2026-2026-03-30_en) — start on 12 October 2025, 29 countries, replaces stamping, facial image and fingerprints.
- [EES FAQ](https://travel-europe.europa.eu/en/ees/faq) — single 90/180 period, fingerprints for visa-exempt travelers, under-12 rule, kiosks and biometric passports, Withdrawal Agreement documents (checked 10 October 2026).
- [Data held by the EES](https://travel-europe.europa.eu/ees/data-held-by-ees) — data collected, retention periods, refusing biometrics, overstayer list (checked 10 October 2026).
- [To whom does the EES not apply?](https://travel-europe.europa.eu/ees/to-whom-does-ees-not-apply) — the exemption list under Article 2(3) of Regulation (EU) 2017/2226 (checked 10 October 2026).
- [Check how long you can stay](https://travel-europe.europa.eu/ees/check-how-long-you-can-stay) — the official checker and its pre-10-April-2026 limitation (checked 10 October 2026).
- [Key differences ETIAS and the EES](https://travel-europe.europa.eu/en/etias/about-etias/news-corner/Key-differences-ETIAS-and-EES) — what each system collects and when.