(Adnkronos) – The European Commission has set October 12, 2025 as the date for the progressive start of operations of the Entry/Exit System (EES), the new and more advanced EU border system that will digitally record the entries and exits of citizens of third countries traveling to the 29 Schengen area countries for short stays. The EU executive announces this in a statement, highlighting that the system will modernize and improve the management of the EU’s external borders, detecting biometric data such as fingerprints, facial image and other travel information in order to gradually replace the current passport stamping system.
According to the Commission, the EES system “will provide reliable data on border crossings, will allow systematic identification of overstayers”, i.e. those who have exceeded the authorized period of stay, and “detect cases of document and identity fraud”. This will help prevent irregular migration and “protect the safety of European citizens”, as well as make travel smoother and safer with the increased use of automated border controls. The system “respects the highest standards of data protection and privacy, ensuring that travelers’ personal data remains protected and secure,” the statement underlines.
From October 12th, Member States will start introducing EES, using a six-month period in which border authorities will progressively start recording the data of third-country nationals crossing borders. At the end of this period the system will be fully operational at all border crossings. The gradual start “aims to allow Member States to benefit from the new system immediately, while ensuring that border authorities, the transport industry and the travelers concerned have time to adapt to the new procedures”, explains the EU executive.
