European Union entry/exit system (EES)

The EES will be an automated IT system for registering entries and exits of travellers from non-EU countries at the external borders. It will apply to those needing a short-stay visa and those who are from visa-exempt non-EU countries. The EES will replace the current time-consuming system of manually stamping passports. It will also help in the fight against terrorism and serious crime.

Regulation (EU) 2017/2226 creates the EES, a common electronic system that:

  • records and stores the date, time and place of entry and exit of non-EU nationals crossing the EU’s borders;
  • automatically calculates the duration of authorised stay of such non-EU nationals, and generates alerts to EU Member States when the authorised stay has expired.

The EES:

  • applies to travellers who cross the external borders of the Schengen area and are subject to a visa requirement, including those exempted from it and admitted for a short stay of up to 90 days in a 180-day period;
  • will also record data on non-EU nationals whose entry for a short stay has been refused;
  • will operate at the external borders of Member States that apply the Schengen acquis in full and at the borders of Member States that – at the time the system starts its operations – will not yet apply the Schengen acquis in full, but will have successfully gone through the Schengen evaluation procedure and obtained passive access to the VIS and full access to the Schengen information system.

The EES will store data on identity, travel documents and biometric data. These data will be:

  • kept for 3 years for those travellers who respect the short-stay rules, and 5 years for those who exceed their authorised period of stay;
  • accessible to border authorities, visa-issuing authorities and those responsible for monitoring whether a non-EU national fulfils the conditions of entry or residence.

To prevent, detect or investigate terrorist offences or other serious criminal offences, designated law enforcement authorities and the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (Europol) may make a request to consult EES data.

eu-LISA is responsible for developing and operating the system, including for adapting the VIS to ensure the interoperability between the EES and VIS central systems.

EES is not in operation yet.

The following European countries will use the EES

ees countries

Further information:

official EES webite

Entry/Exit System (EES)

Entry/Exit System (EES)Entry/Exit System (EES)— factsheet (European Commission)