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EU Entry / Exit System (EES)
Travel Information
The new EU Entry / Exit System (EES) is coming to the Port of Dover.
The EU Entry/Exit System (EES) is a new digital system being introduced by the EU to strengthen its external Schengen border.
This will mean most non-EU citizens, including British citizens, will need to register their biometric details (fingerprints and facial images) when they enter or exit the Schengen area. Passengers do not need to provide information in advance of travel – this process will be completed at the border point.
For more information please visit the Government Website and for procedure steps visit the designated pages below.
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The Port of Dover is working closely with our French border agency partners to ensure a smooth introduction of the EU Entry/Exit System (EES) for tourist passengers in early 2026.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the EU Entry/Exit system?
The EU Entry/Exit System (EES) is a new digital system being introduced by the EU to strengthen its external Schengen border.
It will mean most non-EU citizens, including British citizens, will need to register their biometric details – providing fingerprints and having their photo taken – when they enter or exit the Schengen area. Passengers do not need to provide information in advance of travel – this will all be done at the border point.
This should only take a few minutes for each person to do and will eventually replace manual stamping of passports.
When is the process being introduced?
EES will be introduced from 12 October 2025. Implementation will be phased across Schengen border crossing points, (i.e. airports, seaports) over a six-month period, meaning until April 2026 you may encounter different border requirements at different ports where you enter and exit across the Schengen area.
Who does EES apply to?
EES will apply to non-EU citizens and non-EU residents entering the Schengen area for a short stay. This means any traveller not holding the nationality or residence permit of any EU country or the nationality of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland.
Which countries are within the Schengen Area?
The Schengen area is made up of the following countries; Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyrus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.
Do I have to pay for EES?
No. There is no charge for passenger for EES registration. Any requests for payment to comply with EES are incorrect and/or fraudulent. The EU will later be introducing an advance permission to travel system, the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS), which will require a payment. This scheme is a separate system to EES and is not expected to launch until Autumn 2026.
Where will registration take place?
Passengers will be required to undertake EES registration the first time they cross an external Schengen border. This will typically take place at the port or airport in their country of entry, where they will scan their passport, submit their fingerprints and/or have their photo taken, but could also take place upon exit.
Passengers may be asked Schengen Border Code questions, which are basic questions about their trip. One of the most common questions that passengers are asked upon reaching the EU is whether they have a return ticket to their home country or an outward ticket to another third country once their trip in the Schengen Zone ends.
Will I have to do this every time they travel?
Passengers will only have to create a full digital record on their first visit to the Schengen Area, or if it is more than 3 years since their last record creation.
If you return to the Schengen area within 3 years, passengers will have a faster process by only needing to update their existing digital record and provide one biometric (i.e. fingerprints or a facial image) at the point of entry and exit.
If you don’t return to the Schengen area for more than 3 years, or you get a new passport, you will need to create a full new record. For example, a British traveller visiting a country in the Schengen area for the first time
following the implementation of EES will create a digital record at the Schengen border. They will have their photo taken and fingerprints scanned, and these biometrics need to be verified by a border guard.
Each subsequent entry/exit the individual makes to/from the Schengen area within 3 years of their digital record being created will only require one
biometric record (e.g. fingerprints). If the traveller has not entered/exited the Schengen area for 3 years or is travelling on a new passport they must complete the record process in full, having a new photo taken and fingerprints scanned again.
If your appearance has significantly changed then you may be instructed to have another photo taken by border guards.
Will my children have to complete biometric scans?
Children under 12 will not be fingerprinted but all passengers, including babies, will be photographed and have a digital record created.
How do I proceed if I have both EU and Non EU citizens in my vehicle?
Any vehicle with both EU and non-EU (i.e. British) citizens inside will need to proceed to the EES registration area, so that non-EU passengers can complete EES registration.