EES — the EU's new entry/exit system: what you need to know

If you have travelled to the Schengen area recently, you may have noticed something new at the border: instead of a stamp in your passport, the border officer takes your fingerprints or a photo of your face. This is the Entry/Exit System (EES) — and since 10 April 2026 it has been fully operational at all border crossing points of the countries that use it.

What EES is and since when

EES replaces the passport stamp with an electronic record of every entry and exit for non-EU nationals making a short stay. It was rolled out progressively across 29 European countries over six months, starting 12 October 2025. Since 10 April 2026 it has been fully operational at all external border crossing points of the participating countries, and manual passport stamping was abolished on that same date. Before that, stamping and electronic registration ran side by side.

Who it applies to and what is recorded

EES applies to every non-EU national travelling for a short stay — whether holding a short-stay visa, or not needing a visa for a stay of up to 90 days in any 180-day period. Macedonian citizens travel visa-free, so they fall into the second group.

The system records your travel-document data and other personal data, including the entry and exit dates and the place of each crossing, electronically.

Fingerprints and facial image — it depends on your case

The biometrics taken depend on your status:

• travellers with a short-stay visa — only a facial image is stored (fingerprints were already taken for the visa);
• travellers who do not need a visa (including Macedonian citizens) — four fingerprints and a facial image are taken;
• fingerprints of children under 12 are not scanned, although the child is still subject to EES.

There is no application to submit in advance — registration happens at the border, when you cross, and it is the border authority that registers it.

Do you need a biometric passport?

There are two separate things here, and they are worth keeping apart.

For EES registration itself, a biometric passport is not required — both biometric and non-biometric passports are accepted if valid and the other entry conditions are met. A biometric passport is only needed if you want to use the automated self-service systems, where available, since those let you submit your data in advance and shorten queues.

But for visa-free travel — a separate question — the biometric passport is the condition: the visa-free regime for Macedonian citizens applies only to holders of a biometric passport (Regulation (EU) 2018/1806, Annex II). Macedonia has issued biometric passports since April 2007, so in practice every valid Macedonian passport today is biometric — but if you travel on an older, non-biometric passport, you will need a visa for Schengen. More on documents: travel documents and visas guide.

The 90/180 rule has not changed

EES changes only how your stay is recorded, not how long you may stay. The 90 days in any 180-day period are counted as a single period across all countries using EES. Because the stay is now calculated electronically, an overstay is identified and recorded by the system, and the same applies to a refusal of entry.

Since the system’s introduction, more than 52 million entries and exits have been registered, with over 27,000 refusals of entry, of which more than 700 people were identified as a security risk to Europe.

EES is not ETIAS

It is important to keep the two apart: EES is not ETIAS. ETIAS is a separate travel authorisation for visa-exempt travellers, and it is not yet in operation, with no announced start date. If anyone claims to sell or provide an “ETIAS” today, that is not legitimate — do not pay for it. For the documents you actually need to travel, see our travel documents and visa guide.

One narrow exception: family members of EU citizens covered by Directive 2004/38/EC fall under reduced data-retention rules, and the automated stay calculator does not apply to them.

Key points

• EES has been fully operational since 10 April 2026 at all border crossing points of the participating countries; passport stamping has been abolished.
• Macedonian citizens (visa-exempt) give four fingerprints and a facial image; children under 12 are not fingerprinted.
• Registration happens at the border, with no advance application; a biometric passport is not needed for EES registration itself, but the visa-free regime applies only to holders of a biometric passport.
• The 90/180 rule has not changed — only how it is tracked.
• EES is not ETIAS — ETIAS is not yet in operation.

If you are travelling to the Schengen area and are not sure which documents you need, send us a request and we will reply as soon as possible.