As has been widely reported in the national press that the
European Union is implementing a newly created digital border
control system for non-EU citizens, Exit/Entrance System (EES).In
addition to ESS in 2026 an additional entry requirement will be
introduced, the European Travel Information and Authorisation
System (ETIAS) which will sit beside EES to enable foreign
nationals to travel to the EU.
ESS
The ESS will replace the manual stamping of passports for short
stays in the Schengen Area.The system has already been initiated
and starting on 12 October 2025 and the rollout will be phased over
the following six months at all border crossings, ports.This means
that during the initial period not all crossings to Europe will
employ the biometric system which is expected to be fully
functional by 10 April 2026, and passport stamping will continue
until the new system is fully deployed.
