EU Entry/Exit System (EES)
- Status
- Fully operational since 10 April 2026 2
- Launch
- Progressive rollout began 12 October 2025 2
- Countries
- 29 European countries 1
- Who is recorded
- Most non-EU nationals making short stays 1
- Data
- Travel-document, entry, exit, refusal and biometric records 3
- Normal retention
- Entry, exit and refusal records for 3 years 4
- Official website
- https://travel-europe.europa.eu/ees 5
- Checked
- 19 October 2026
Who is registered
EES applies to non-EU nationals travelling for a short stay of up to 90 days in any 180-day period in the 29 countries using the system. It covers travellers who need a short-stay visa and travellers who do not need one 1.
For EES, non-EU national means a person who does not hold the nationality of an EU country, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland. Cyprus and Ireland do not use EES and continue to stamp passports manually 1,2.
What happens at the border
The system records the data listed in your travel document, including your name and birth date. It records the date and place of each entry and exit, a facial image, fingerprints where required, and any refusal of entry 3.
A short-stay visa holder's fingerprints are already held in the Visa Information System and are not stored again in EES. The system can draw related information from the Visa Information System and from ETIAS where that applies 3.
EES replaces routine passport stamping at the external borders of the countries using it. Border officers still decide whether you meet the entry conditions 1,2.
Countries using EES
Who is exempt
The official EU material lists exemptions for nationals of the countries using EES, Cyprus and Ireland. It lists holders of residence permits and long-stay visas, certain residence-card holders and close family members with free-movement rights, and nationals of Andorra, Monaco and San Marino plus Vatican City or Holy See passport holders 2.
Other exemptions cover defined border privileges, local border-traffic permits, some train crew and some people travelling for an intra-corporate transfer, research, study, training, voluntary service, pupil exchange, educational projects or au-pair work. The official exemption list should be checked for the traveller's exact status 2.
How long EES keeps data
Article 34 of Regulation (EU) 2017/2226 sets a 3-year period for each entry, exit or refusal record, counted from the exit or refusal. An individual file with linked records is kept for 3 years and one day in the case stated by the regulation 4.
If there is no exit record after the authorised stay expires, the data is kept for 5 years from the expiry date. A record for certain family members covered by EU free-movement law is kept for up to 1 year after exit. The system must erase data automatically when the relevant period ends 4.
Who can access the record
Border, visa and immigration authorities in countries using EES can access the data for their legal tasks. Designated law-enforcement authorities and Europol can request access under the conditions in the EES regulation for terrorist offences and other serious crime 3,4.
The official EES page gives travellers rights to ask for access, correction of inaccurate or incomplete data and deletion of unlawfully processed data. It links to national contact points and data-protection authorities 3.
EES and ETIAS are different
EES is the border entry and exit record. ETIAS is a separate pre-travel authorisation for visa-exempt travellers. As checked on 19 October 2026, EES is fully operational. ETIAS has its own launch timetable and application process 2,5.
Common questions
Is EES operating now?
Yes. The EU says it was launched progressively on 12 October 2025 and has been fully operational since 10 April 2026 2.
Do I apply for EES online?
No. EES is a border registration system, not an application or travel authorisation 1,5.
Does EES take fingerprints?
It can record fingerprints and a facial image. Short-stay visa holders already have fingerprints in the Visa Information System, so those prints are not stored again in EES 3.
Does EES replace passport stamps?
Yes, for routine short-stay crossings at the external borders of the 29 countries using EES 2.
How long does EES keep my data?
Entry, exit and refusal records are normally kept for 3 years. Data linked to an unrecorded exit after an authorised stay expires can be kept for 5 years 4.
Are Ireland and Cyprus in EES?
No. The EU says passports continue to be stamped manually in Cyprus and Ireland 2.
Rules and fees change. Check the official site linked above before you apply or pay. Spotted an error? Email hello@entryrulesexplained.com with the official link.
Sources
- European Union: What is the EES? (accessed 19 October 2026)
- European Union: A Modern, More Efficient Border Management System for Europe (2026)
- European Union: Data held by the EES (accessed 19 October 2026)
- Official Journal of the European Union: Regulation (EU) 2017/2226, Article 34 (30 November 2017, consolidated text accessed 19 October 2026)
- European Union: Entry/Exit System official website (accessed 19 October 2026)
Related
- ETIAS (European Travel Information and Authorisation System)
ETIAS is not yet running. It will cost €20, last 3 years and cover 30 European countries. Who will need it, who is exempt and the official site.
- Advance passenger information: what API and PNR mean
What airlines send before a flight, how API differs from PNR, why states collect it, and the international rules behind the systems.
- What governments say happens to arrival card data
The data, uses, access rules and published retention terms for eight official digital arrival systems, checked against government notices.
- UK Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA)
A UK ETA costs £20 and lasts 2 years or until your passport expires. Who needs one, who is exempt, how to apply and how to avoid paying extra.