The European Commission has set 12 October 2025 as the date for the start of operations of the much-delayed Entry/Exit System (EES). The system aims to digitise border crossings, enhance border security and prevent irregular immigration.
First proposed in 2016, the EES is described by the European Commission as an advanced technological system that will digitally record the entries and exits of non-EU nationals travelling to 29 European countries (the Member States minus Ireland but plus Iceland, Norway and Switzerland).
Gradually replacing the current system of passport stamping, the system will capture biometric data, such as fingerprints, facial image and other travel information. “It will provide reliable data on border crossings, systematically detect overstayers as well as cases of document and identity fraud,” the European Commission explained.
The legal details are set out in Decision (EU) 2025/1544, which states that the conditions to be fulfilled before the EES starts operations have all now been fulfilled. The scheme had earlier failed to meet the planned 10 November 2024 deadline for its launch.
There is some respite for the haulage companies, coach operators and export trade bodies, who have all warned of costly delays at the border likely to result from the new system; it will not be strictly enforced from day one.
Member States will be told to start introducing the EES gradually over a period of six months with border authorities progressively registering the data of third country nationals crossing the borders. At the end of this period, the EES will be fully deployed at all border crossing points.
