Overview

• The system went live on October 12 with a six‑month rollout across 29 Schengen jurisdictions, running alongside passport stamps until April 10, 2026.
• First‑time entrants from non‑EU countries must scan passports, provide a facial photo and four fingerprints, with refusal resulting in denied entry.
• Airports are onboarding first, with Germany starting at Düsseldorf before Frankfurt and Munich, and selective starts elsewhere as only Estonia, Luxembourg and Czechia report full readiness.
• Authorities and industry warn of longer queues as airlines and airports flag staffing and technical gaps, and the European Commission allows temporary suspension where waits or outages spike.
• Travel records and biometrics are stored in a central EU database with law‑enforcement access reported for at least three years, and a paid ETIAS authorization for visa‑exempt visitors is planned for late 2026.