Schengen border overhaul
The EU’s new Entry/Exit System (EES) is rolling out now and replaces passport stamps with digital entry/exit records and biometric processing for non‑EU travelers at Schengen borders. (travelandtourworld.com) ETIAS — the pre‑travel authorization for visa‑exempt visitors including the UK — is slated for autumn 2026, and Greece is already flagged as a potential flashpoint where EES changes could cause record delays and missed flights this summer. (travelandtourworld.com) (travelandtourworld.com)
Europe’s Schengen Area has switched to a digital border log for many non-European Union visitors, and passport stamps are being phased out. (home-affairs.ec.europa.eu) The Entry/Exit System became fully operational on April 10, 2026, after entering service on October 12, 2025 and rolling out over 180 days across 29 European countries. (home-affairs.ec.europa.eu) (eulisa.europa.eu) At those borders, officials now record a traveler’s name, travel document details, fingerprints, facial image, and the date and place of entry or exit for short stays by non-European Union nationals. (home-affairs.ec.europa.eu) (eulisa.europa.eu) The system covers short-stay travel into the Schengen Area and is designed to replace manual stamps with digital records that can also flag people who overstay the 90-days-in-180 rule. (home-affairs.ec.europa.eu) That changes the first minutes at the border for travelers from countries such as the United Kingdom and the United States, because a first registration can require biometric capture instead of a quick stamp check. (travel-europe.europa.eu) (home-affairs.ec.europa.eu) European Union officials say the next change is the European Travel Information and Authorisation System, a pre-travel approval for visa-exempt visitors that is scheduled to start in the last quarter of 2026. (travel-europe.europa.eu) (home-affairs.ec.europa.eu) The official European Union ETIAS site says no applications are being collected yet, and the bloc will announce the exact launch date several months before the system goes live. (travel-europe.europa.eu 1) (travel-europe.europa.eu 2) Airports and airlines have warned that the new border checks are already slowing some passengers. On February 11, 2026, Airports Council International Europe, Airlines for Europe, and the International Air Transport Association called for an immediate review ahead of the summer peak. (iata.org) The European Commission said early use of the system logged more than 45 million border crossings before full deployment, a sign of how quickly the new checks moved from pilot phase to routine processing. (home-affairs.ec.europa.eu) For travelers, the practical split is now simple: border data collection is already in force under the Entry/Exit System, while the separate ETIAS travel authorization is still months away. (home-affairs.ec.europa.eu) (travel-europe.europa.eu)
