EU Launches Digital Border System

The European Union has officially activated its new digital Entry/Exit System (EES) on Sunday, marking a major step toward fully digitizing border control across the bloc.

The system electronically records the entry and exit data of non-EU travelers at the EU’s external borders.

According to Reuters, the rollout of the EES will take place over the next six months. The automated system requires travelers to scan their passports and provide fingerprints and facial images upon arrival.

The initiative aims to identify individuals overstaying their visas, combat identity fraud, and curb illegal migration, amid growing political pressure in several EU countries to tighten border and migration policies.

EU Commissioner for Home Affairs and Migration Magnus Brunner described the Entry/Exit System as the digital backbone of the bloc’s new common framework for migration and asylum.

Under the new rules, non-EU citizens entering the Schengen Area for the first time must register their personal data, including fingerprints and facial scans.

The Schengen Zone includes all EU member states except Ireland and Cyprus, as well as Iceland, Norway, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein. Subsequent trips will only require facial verification.

The traditional passport stamp will be fully replaced by digital records by 10 April 2026, once the system becomes fully operational.

Brunner stated that every third-country national arriving at an EU external border will undergo identity verification, a security check, and registration in the EU’s databases.

He added that the six-month phased implementation allows member states, travelers, and businesses to adapt smoothly to the new digital border procedures.