EES 2026: fingerprints, storage period & ETIAS

The Entry/Exit System (EES) is the EU's digital entry and exit system. It has been rolled out gradually since 12 October 2025 and has been fully in place at the Schengen external borders since 10 April 2026. It replaces passport stamps with the digital recording of entries and exits.

What is recorded

Entries and exits of third-country nationals on short stays, meaning up to 90 days in 180, are registered. The record includes:

travel document details (passport number, issuing country, type of document)
name, date of birth, nationality, sex
facial image and four fingerprints (without thumbs)
date and place of entry and exit
refused entries and overstays

How it works at the border

No more stamps. On the first entry you are fully registered — scan the passport, capture biometrics. At selected airports, self-service kiosks handle this, but they require a biometric passport with a chip. If the biometric data is still valid, later trips skip re-registration; every entry and exit is still recorded.

Anyone who refuses the biometrics can be refused entry under the Schengen Borders Code. What matters, though: the entry conditions themselves do not change, only the process at the border.

Children and biometrics

Fingerprints are taken only from age 12. Children and infants are still registered — with passport data and a facial image. Each person is registered individually; parents can help.

Who it applies to

In principle all third-country nationals on a short stay, whether visa-free or visa-required. Not recorded are EU, EEA and Swiss nationals, third-country nationals with a residence permit or a national visa for a longer stay, certain family members of EU citizens with a residence card, and nationals of Andorra, Monaco, San Marino and the Vatican.

Ireland and Cyprus do not yet use the EES — they still stamp there.

How long the data stays

The personal EES file is kept for 3 years after the last border crossing, and likewise after a refusal of entry. For overstaying the permitted duration or for violations, data can be kept for up to 5 years.

ETIAS: not started yet

Complementing the EES, ETIAS is planned, a travel authorisation for visa-exempt travellers — not a visa. As of October 2026, ETIAS is not in operation. The last-stated date (final quarter of 2026) counts as postponed; according to reports, a start in 2027 at the earliest is likely, but no new date is officially confirmed. Expect a transition phase of several months.

A passport would then be needed for nationals of the roughly 60 visa-exempt non-EU countries, including the USA, Canada, the UK, Australia and Japan. The fee is expected to be €20 (free under 18 and over 70), valid for three years. As long as ETIAS has not officially started, no website can issue valid authorisations — use only official EU sources and do not fall for paid third-party providers.

Practical

Carry a biometric passport; it speeds up registration at the kiosks. Allow a little more time on the first entry. Keep carrying the usual entry documents — return ticket, accommodation, insurance, funding. You can check your remaining days of stay via the official service at travel-europe.europa.eu.

How the days are counted is in the 90/180 rule. What happens if you are turned away at the border: Refusal of entry at the border.

Note: general information, not advice. The information of the EU and the competent authorities is decisive. Last updated: 16.10.2026.

Sources

Regulation (EU) 2017/2226 (EES Regulation), in particular Art. 16–18 and Art. 34: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32017R2226
European Commission — travel-europe.europa.eu (EES, ETIAS): https://travel-europe.europa.eu/
German Federal Police and Federal Office of Administration — EES information (as of 2026)