EU Entry/Exit System (EES): what UK travellers give

The short answer

The Entry/Exit System (EES) is the EU’s automated register of non-EU nationals, including British citizens, who visit for a short stay. It started on 12 October 2025 and was rolled out in phases until 9 April 2026. Since 10 April 2026 it is fully operational at all external border crossing points of the 29 European countries that use it. A visitor who does not need a visa has 4 fingerprints and a facial image recorded, and passport stamps are no longer used. There is no fee.

What the EES records about you

According to the EU’s page on data held by the EES, the system collects, records and stores:

• the data in your travel document (full name, date of birth and so on);
• the date and place of each entry and exit;
• your facial image and fingerprints;
• whether you were refused entry.

What is stored depends on whether you need a short-stay visa. British citizens do not need one for short stays (GOV.UK says up to 90 days in any 180-day period), so the system stores 4 fingerprints and a facial image. Travellers who hold a short-stay visa have only their facial image stored, because their fingerprints were already taken for the visa.

The EU FAQ says that, currently, the fingerprints of children below 12 years old are not scanned. GOV.UK says the same in its own words: children aged 11 or younger will not have their fingerprints scanned but can be required to have their photo taken.

If you refuse to provide your biometric data, the EU says you will be denied entry into the countries using the EES.

Where and when the checks happen

The EES applies each time you cross the external border of a country using it, both on the way in and on the way out. The EU’s “How does the EES work?” page sets out two cases:

GOV.UK adds that on a first visit you may be asked to register at a special booth before the immigration desk, that you may also give a fingerprint or photo when you leave, and that EES checks may take each passenger extra time. If you leave by plane, it advises allowing extra time to reach your gate, as EES checks may take place before boarding. You do not need to do anything before you arrive at the border.

Ireland and Cyprus are in the EU but outside this system: the EU’s “What is the EES?” page says passports will still be stamped manually there. GOV.UK says Cyprus is not affected by the EES and that you should make sure your passport is stamped on entry and exit.

The rollout dates, as the EU states them

• 12 October 2025: start of the system. The EU’s stay-calculator page refers to “the period between 12 October 2025 and 9 April 2026”.
• 12 October 2025 to 9 April 2026: progressive start. The EU FAQ says the system was deployed gradually over 6 months, so biometric data may not have been collected at every crossing point straight away. Passport stamping and electronic registration coexisted during this period.
• 10 April 2026: end of the progressive period. From this date, the EU says, the EES is fully operational at all external border crossing points, the manual stamping of passports is abolished, and the automated stay calculator and the list of overstayers start functioning.

The EU’s online stay checker warns that the remaining authorised stay it shows does not reflect any time spent in the Schengen area that began before 10 April 2026. The 90-days-in-180 limit itself has not changed; the EES only records it electronically. Your passport still has to meet the issue and expiry rules explained in passport validity for Europe.

Registering in advance

The EU says registration can be quicker if you give some data in advance, either at self-service equipment at the border crossing point (if available) or through a mobile app if the country of arrival or departure offers one. Self-service equipment requires a biometric passport, one with a chip. The official “Travel to Europe” app lets you pre-register within 72 hours before crossing. On the EU’s app page, it is supported when entering Sweden (passport data, facial image and questionnaire) and Portugal (questionnaire only); other countries may add it later. Using it is optional, and you still meet a passport control officer.

How long your record is kept

GOV.UK says your digital EES record is valid for 3 years. The EU’s data page gives the detail: records of entries, exits and refusals are kept for 3 years from the date they were created; your individual file for 3 years and 1 day from your last exit; and 5 years from the end of your authorised stay if no exit was recorded. After each period the data is erased automatically.

The EES is not ETIAS

The EES registers you at the border and costs nothing. ETIAS is a separate travel authorisation, with a fee, that you will apply for online before travelling once it starts; the EU says it is not in operation yet. See ETIAS for UK travellers. For the rest of the trip, see the guides to liquids in hand luggage, power banks on a plane and flight delay compensation.

Before you travel

Check the GOV.UK entry requirements page for the country you are visiting and the EU’s EES pages linked below: the countries offering the app, and the self-service equipment, can change from one border crossing point to another.