EU interior ministers approved a revised timetable for the implementation of the entry/exit system (EES) and the European travel information and authorization system (ETIAS) on March 5. EES should be operational in october 2025. ETIAS should follow in last quarter of 2026.
After several postponements, the schedule has been approved
The EES system originally scheduled for launch in 2022, has been pushed back to 2023 and 2024. It will be expected in october 2025. The launch will be phased in over six months.
THE ETIASis due to come into force in spring 2025, the system will be expanded, end of 2026.
The new EES and ETIAS systems
EES is a new digital border management system designed to register short-stay non-EU nationals every time they cross the external borders of the 29 European countries using the system. THE EES modernize border management in Schengen countrieswill gradually simplify border controls and prevent identity fraud. The ETIAS travel authorization is an entry requirement for visa-exempt third-country nationals.
At the same time, on March 5, EU interior ministers approved the Council's general approach to a gradual start-up of EES operations. Once adopted by the co-legislators, 29 European countries to phase in EES over six months. This would give border authorities and the transport sector more time to adapt to the new procedures.
New obligations from October 2025
The new EES system will apply to all travelers and non-EU citizens from October 2025. The paper stamp on the passport will be replaced. From now on, the entry system will be computerized, with fingerprints and photos recorded at every border crossing, depending on which European countries are covered by the new system.
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