EU agrees to finally launch Entry/Exit system after years of delays

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European Union countries have agreed to move forward with the long-awaited Entry/Exit System (EES), a high-tech border control registry for short-stay travelers that has faced repeated delays due to technical issues and lack of preparedness. The decision, reached by EU interior ministers in Brussels on Wednesday, clears the way for the system’s launch in autumn, though no fixed date has been set.

Under the agreement, member states will have the option to introduce the system all at once or roll it out gradually over a six-month transition period. By the end of this period, all border crossings will be required to use the EES for registrations. The phased approach was not part of the original legislation but was introduced as a compromise during a high-level meeting in November to break the deadlock and finally implement the system.

Poland, which currently holds the EU Council’s rotating presidency, will lead negotiations with the European Parliament to finalize the legal amendments, a process expected to proceed without obstacles. “October is our horizon,” Poland’s Minister for Internal Affairs and Administration, Tomasz Siemoniak, said Wednesday morning.

The system “will provide member states’ services with entirely new tools to control who enters and exits the Schengen Area, for the police and border guards. This is an absolutely essential matter,” Siemoniak added.

First proposed in 2016, the EES is a key border reform designed to modernize security checks at the EU’s external borders and replace the long-standing practice of physically stamping passports. It will apply to non-EU citizens visiting the bloc for tourism, business, or short-term stays of up to 90 days within a 180-day period.

Once operational, visitors will be required to present their passports upon arrival, while also undergoing biometric verification, including facial recognition and fingerprint scans. Every entry and exit from the Schengen Area will be digitally recorded, allowing authorities to track overstays and combat identity fraud more effectively.

All EU member states except Cyprus and Ireland, along with four Schengen-associated countries—Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland—will implement the system. Cyprus and Ireland, however, will continue stamping passports manually, as they are not part of the EES framework.

The long-delayed rollout marks a major step in Europe’s efforts to enhance border security while streamlining the movement of travelers across the region.