Overview
- The Entry/Exit System, which replaces passport stamps, becomes mandatory Friday across 29 Schengen countries and records fingerprints, a facial image and your entry and exit for three years.
- Airports and airlines say first-time enrollment has already pushed border waits to two hours at peak times and warn queues could worsen when full registration removes past workarounds.
- Readiness is uneven, with reports of faulty links to the central database and stalled kiosks at some sites, including French checks on UK soil at Dover, Folkestone and St Pancras.
- The rules cover non‑EU short‑stay visitors such as UK and US passport holders, with children under 12 exempt from fingerprinting and Ireland and Cyprus outside the scheme.
- A separate pre‑travel permit called ETIAS remains slated for late 2026, though outlets question that date because officials want EES to run smoothly before it begins.