The European Union is set to launch its new border control model on Sunday 12 October 2025, from when it will be introduced gradually, becoming fully operational on 10 April 2026.
The EU's Entry-Exit System (EES) is an innovative automated computerised system that will record the entry and exit from the Schengen area of third-country nationals who are not part of the European agreement on the free movement of persons. In addition, this new digital register will do away with the requirement to stamp the passports of travellers entering or leaving European territory.
Control of European border posts in Spanish territory, whether at ports, airports or land borders, will continue to be the responsibility of the National Police, while the Guardia Civil retains its missions of preventing and prosecuting smuggling, fraud and other tax and customs offences.
Our borders, ready
The Ministry of Home Affairs has invested 83 million euros to bring all Spanish border crossing points into line with the technical requirements of the EES. All land and air borders are now ready to go live with the new system.
The process has not yet been completed in the case of seaports because several port authorities have not yet concluded the process of tendering and installing the infrastructure needed to meet the requirements of the new European border model.
Progressive implementation
During the six-month trial period of the EU EES, it will be implemented progressively at Spanish border crossing points, first at airports, then in a second phase at land borders and finally at sea borders. On Sunday 12 October, the first test will be carried out on a flight landing at Madrid-Barajas-Adolfo Suárez airport in the early hours of the morning.
The EES is an advanced technological system designed to digitally record information on non-EU nationals crossing the external borders of the Schengen Area. For this purpose, border posts will be equipped with computer equipment that will scan your passport data, take your photo and record your fingerprints, as well as the date and place of entry or exit. If you are refused entry by the national authorities, the system will also record this information.
Its gradual introduction over a period of six months means that border crossing points will introduce the different elements of the EES in phases, so it is possible that travellers' biometric data (facial image and fingerprints) will not be collected immediately at all border crossing points and that their personal information will not be recorded in the system.
During this six month period, the EES will coexist with the traditional manual stamping of passports, which will stop once the system is fully operational as of 10 April 2026, as it is time-consuming, does not provide reliable data on border crossings and does not allow for the systematic detection of persons who have overstayed their maximum authorised duration of stay.
The EES will record travellers from non-EU third countries each time they cross an external border of one of the 29 European countries that are part of the Schengen area for a maximum stay of 90 days in any 180-day period.
If the traveller requires an entry visa, the system will only store their passport data and facial image, because their fingerprints would already have been recorded when they applied for the visa. If the traveller does not need a visa, the system will also collect four of their fingerprints.
Agile and secure system
The Entry/Exit System is one of the measures adopted to achieve the objectives of the European Security and Migration agendas in border management and the prevention of cross-border crime. The European Commission presented its smart borders proposal in April 2016. Following negotiations with the European Parliament and the Council, it was adopted in July 2017. The EES Regulation, together with a specific amendment to the Schengen Borders Code, entered into force on 29 December 2017.
The EU has opted for the EES, among other reasons, because it facilitates the identification of people who overstay their visas, who use false identities or passports or who, for various reasons, do not have the right to enter European countries.
Help in identifying identities
For EU officials, the EES provides reliable data in real time, which helps national authorities to identify individuals who pose a threat to security, as well as cases of document and identity fraud. It also helps detect irregular migration by identifying people who overstay or those who try to access any EU country irregularly.
The EES therefore modernises border management to make travel safer, smoother and more efficient by reducing waiting times at passport control through the introduction of automated border controls, which always operate under the supervision of passport control officers.
Although the collection of biometric data may affect the privacy of travellers, the technology used in the EES ensures the protection of the fundamental rights of individuals by meeting all the requirements set out in the EU General Data Protection Regulation.
In addition, safeguards have been put in place by the system operators to guarantee the rights of travellers with regard to the protection of their privacy and personal data, which will only be kept in the system for as long as necessary and for the purposes for which they were collected.
Non official translation
EU Entry/Exit System