EES at the border: what happens when you enter Europe

Q: Can I pre-register to save time?

In some countries, yes. The official Travel to Europe app lets you pre-register within 72 hours before arriving, and it needs a biometric passport. It currently works for entry to Sweden (passport data, face and a short questionnaire) and Portugal (questionnaire only). Unfinished drafts are deleted after 7 days (official: Travel to Europe app). You still go through the border check in person.

Q: How long is my data kept?

According to the data held by EES page: Record Kept for ------ Each entry, exit or refusal record 3 years from when it was created Your individual file 3 years and 1 day after your last exit or refusal If no exit was ever recorded 5 years Qualifying family members of EU citizens 1 year

Q: How is EES different from ETIAS?

EES is a border record and is already running. ETIAS will be an online authorisation you get before travel, for EUR 20, and it hasn't launched yet. Once ETIAS starts, visa-exempt travellers will need both. See ETIAS vs EES and the ETIAS launch tracker. Arriving with a long border queue ahead? Get a Europe eSIM before you land (affiliate link, optional, unrelated to EES). Want it on one page? ETIAS & EES Europe travel checklist ($7, optional). ETIAS itself is EUR 20 only on the official EU site.

By Aaron Houston · Last checked 2026-10-27 against official EU sources

Some links on this page are affiliate links; we may earn a commission at no cost to you. They are for optional travel products only, never for ETIAS itself. Disclosure.

Status as of 2026-10-27: EES has been fully operational since 10 April 2026. ETIAS is a separate system that is still not in operation, and no ETIAS applications are being collected.

Short answer: the first time you cross a Schengen external border after EES started, an officer or kiosk records your face and fingerprints along with your passport details. On later trips they only verify you. Your passport is no longer stamped (Commission EES page). EES is free and needs no application.

Source: European Commission EES page and the official travel-europe.europa.eu EES pages, last checked 2026-10-27.

What happens on my first crossing?

At the border check, a border officer or a self-service system takes your facial image and/or fingerprints and scans your passport (official: How does the EES work). The EES record includes:

name and travel document data
four fingerprints and a facial image for visa-exempt travellers. Visa holders give only a facial image, because their fingerprints are already in the visa system.
date and place of each entry and exit, and any refusal of entry

Children under 12 aren't fingerprinted (official: Data held by EES).

If you refuse to give your biometrics, you'll be denied entry (How does the EES work).

What about later trips?

Your file is already there, so the check is mostly verification against your stored face or fingerprints. Where self-service kiosks are available, you need a biometric passport to use them. Without one, you go to a staffed booth (How does the EES work).

Can I pre-register to save time?

In some countries, yes. The official Travel to Europe app lets you pre-register within 72 hours before arriving, and it needs a biometric passport. It currently works for entry to Sweden (passport data, face and a short questionnaire) and Portugal (questionnaire only). Unfinished drafts are deleted after 7 days (official: Travel to Europe app). You still go through the border check in person.

Who doesn't go through EES?

Under Article 2(3) of Regulation (EU) 2017/2226 (official: To whom does EES not apply), EES doesn't apply to:

EU citizens and nationals of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland (EES is for non-EU travellers on short stays)
holders of a residence permit or long-stay visa
nationals of Andorra, Monaco and San Marino, and Vatican/Holy See passport holders
some others, including diplomats (see the official page for the full list)

Cyprus and Ireland don't use EES and still stamp passports manually. EES covers the 29 countries of the Schengen area (Commission EES page).

How long is my data kept?

According to the data held by EES page:

Record	Kept for
Each entry, exit or refusal record	3 years from when it was created
Your individual file	3 years and 1 day after your last exit or refusal
If no exit was ever recorded	5 years
Qualifying family members of EU citizens	1 year

How does EES enforce the 90/180-day rule?

EES calculates your stay automatically and flags anyone who overstays. An overstay can lead to an entry ban, normally up to 5 years, recorded in the Schengen Information System. If a record is wrong, or you overstayed because of something like a hospital stay, you can ask for it to be corrected with credible evidence (How does the EES work). Use the official check how long you can stay tool before a trip. It ignores days before 10 April 2026. See the 90/180-day rule explained.

Unconfirmed: typical waiting times for first-time EES registration at specific airports or ferry ports. No official per-port figures are published, so allow extra time on your first trip.

How is EES different from ETIAS?

EES is a border record and is already running. ETIAS will be an online authorisation you get before travel, for EUR 20, and it hasn't launched yet. Once ETIAS starts, visa-exempt travellers will need both. See ETIAS vs EES and the ETIAS launch tracker.

Want it on one page? ETIAS & EES Europe travel checklist ($7, optional). ETIAS itself is EUR 20 only on the official EU site.

Sources

Keep going: This page is part of our main guide to who needs ETIAS, which walks through every decision in order. Related questions: ETIAS vs EES: what is the difference? and The 90/180-day rule explained. Ready to act? See ETIAS requirements.