EES Checker: Europe's Entry/Exit System and You

If you are not an EU citizen, Europe’s Entry/Exit System (EES) registers you at the border: a photo of your face and 4 fingerprints, and every entry and exit, instead of a passport stamp. It runs in 29 countries, fully since April 10, 2026. Pick your passport and situation above to see yours.

How to use it

Choose your passport, the country you are entering, whether the traveller is a child under 12, and anything that changes the rule for you: a second, European passport, a residence permit or long-stay visa, a residence card as an EU citizen’s family member, a British Withdrawal Agreement residence document, or diplomatic or cross-border-worker status. The answer says whether the EES registers you, what it takes, how long it keeps it, and quotes the EU’s own sentences it rests on. Copy the link to send the answer to someone travelling with you.

What the EES is

In the EU’s words: “The Entry/Exit System (EES) is an automated IT system for registering non-EU nationals travelling for a short stay, each time they cross the external borders of any of the following European countries using the system:” — the 29 countries of the Schengen area. “Your entries and exits, or entry refusals will be electronically registered in the EES.” It replaces the passport stamp: “Your passport (biometric or non-biometric) will not be stamped.” Two EU countries stay out: “In Cyprus and Ireland, despite being countries of the European Union, passports will still be stamped manually.”

What it takes depends on your visa. With no visa needed (Americans, Canadians, Britons, Australians…): “In this case, the system will store 4 of your fingerprints and your facial image.” If you need a Schengen visa: “In this case, the system will store only your facial image (your fingerprints were already registered when you applied for a visa).” And for children: “Currently, the fingerprints of children below 12 years old are not scanned, even if they are subject to the EES.” Saying no is not an option: “If you refuse to provide your biometric data, you will be denied entry into the territory of the European countries using the EES.”

Who it skips

• “Nationals of the European countries using the EES, as well as Cyprus and Ireland.”
• “Holders of residence permits and long-stay visas.”
• “Non-EU nationals who hold a residence card and are immediately related to an EU national.”
• “Nationals of Andorra, Monaco and San Marino and holders of a passport issued by the Vatican City State or the Holy See.”
• “People exempt from border checks or who have been granted certain privileges with respect to border checks (such as heads of state, accredited diplomats, cross-border workers, etc.).”
• British residents of an EU country under the Withdrawal Agreement: “UK nationals and their family members who are beneficiaries of the Withdrawal Agreement will be exempt from registration in the EES only if they hold a specific residence document”.

How long it keeps your data

“After each time period expires, your data is automatically erased.” The same file counts your days: “This period is calculated as a single period for all the European countries using the EES”, and “If you stay longer than permitted, you will be identified as an ‘overstayer’ and your data will automatically be added to a list.” Count your 90 days in any 180 with the Schengen Calculator.

Worked examples

An American couple flying into Paris. Yes: the EES registers you — your face and 4 fingerprints, at a self-service kiosk if the airport has one or with an officer; the next trip only checks them. Their passports are not stamped.

An Indian traveller with a Schengen visa, into Germany. Yes: the EES registers you — your face; your fingerprints are already on file in the Visa Information System from the visa application.

Their 8-year-old. Yes: the EES registers you — a photo, no fingerprints under 12.

A British retiree living in Spain on a Withdrawal Agreement residence document. No: the EES does not register you — with that document. A British visitor without one is registered like any other.

An American married to an Italian, visiting Portugal together. Yes, as an EU citizen’s family member: registered, but kept 1 year and no 90-day count. Visiting Italy, the spouse’s own country, they are a regular traveller.

Common mistakes

• Confusing the EES with ETIAS. The EES is the border registration and costs nothing. ETIAS is a separate €20 travel authorisation that has not started yet: check it with the ETIAS Checker.
• Counting days from before April 10, 2026. The EU’s online count starts then: “Please note that the remaining authorised stay does NOT reflect any time spent in the Schengen area that began before 10 April 2026, regardless of whether the visit ended before or continued after that date.” The 90/180 rule itself did not change.
• Expecting the kiosk without a chip. “If you do not have a biometric passport, you will not be able to use self-service systems.” An officer registers you instead.
• Staying past the 90 days. There is no stamp to argue about any more: the system counts, and at the 90 days “The person will be refused entry at the border.”

Plan the trip

Read the best places to visit in Europe, the best airlines from the USA to Europe, our Paris travel guide, our Portugal travel guide and the easiest European country to move to as an American. Then check your passport with the Passport Validity Checker, and the UK’s own version with the UK ETA Checker.