Schengen border checks to go digital: EU approves six-month rollout of entry/exit system

To streamline border control, the European Parliament has approved the phased implementation of the new Entry/Exit System (EES) for non-EU nationals entering the Schengen zone. The system will eliminate traditional passport stamps and instead use biometric data and digital records to track arrivals and departures.

The vote in Strasbourg saw 572 members in favour and 42 against the rollout, which will unfold over a six-month period once formally adopted by the European Commission. The EES will be operational at half of the designated border checkpoints by the third month, and fully active across all entry points by the sixth.

Originally agreed upon in 2017, the EES was meant to begin in November last year but faced delays due to infrastructure and readiness issues among member states. The system will collect facial images and fingerprints of travellers at border crossings, while also logging entry and exit dates, overstay durations, and refused entries.


According to the European Parliament, “The aim is to improve security, speed up the border check process, and reduce queues.”

However, concerns have been raised over the potential for delays during its early stages. London's mayor Sadiq Khan previously warned that an uncoordinated rollout could cause “chaos” at high-traffic hubs like St Pancras, the Eurostar terminal connecting London to mainland Europe.

The UK, which left the EU in 2020, now requires European visitors to obtain a digital travel permit under its own separate system introduced earlier this year.

The exact start date of the EU’s EES rollout will be announced by the European Commission once the legislation enters into force.

(With inputs from AFP)