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Passport stamps end at Schengen borders: the EU's Entry/Exit System goes fully live

The European Union's Entry/Exit System (EES) became fully operational on April 10, 2026, after a phased rollout that began on October 12, 2025. Non-EU travellers on short stays no longer get a hand stamp in their passport. Instead, their entries and exits are recorded digitally, and first-time visitors give a facial image and four fingerprints at the border, Travel Extra reports. The system covers 29 countries: 25 EU states plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. Ireland and Cyprus are not part of it.

Italy's Il Sole 24 Ore explained that the system checks the 90-days-in-180 limit automatically and keeps the data for three years. Children under 12 are photographed but not fingerprinted, and travellers who refuse to give biometric data are turned away. The paper said more than 600 people have already been flagged as potential security risks.

Waiting times “regularly reach two hours during peak periods.” — ACI Europe and A4E, via Il Sole 24 Ore

Switzerland-based IamExpat wrote for foreign residents: holders of a Swiss residence permit or long-term visa do not need to register as long as they carry their passport and permit. It warned that queues would be longer at first at hubs such as Cologne and Amsterdam, and that “we will all be in the same long, literal queues.”

How each outlet framed it

• Travel Extra — an Irish view: travel from Ireland is not affected, but Paris and Amsterdam report waits of up to two hours.
• Il Sole 24 Ore — the rules: who is exempt, data storage and security checks.
• IamExpat — what changes for non-EU residents living inside Schengen.

Where the details differ: IamExpat said airlines were negotiating whether the EES could be suspended in the busy summer months; Il Sole 24 Ore said that from April 10 authorities can no longer suspend it at peak times. On pre-registration, Travel Extra pointed to an official app that takes passport data and a photo up to 72 hours ahead, while IamExpat said the app so far only covers trips to Sweden and Portugal.

What we don't know yet: how long the queues will last into summer. The next step, the ETIAS travel authorisation for visa-exempt visitors, is expected in the last quarter of 2026, according to Travel Extra.