Confidence and Safety

Kluane National Park and Reserve Canada Photography Kalen Emsley

A new Entry/Exit System will soon replace passport stamping across ‘the Schengen Zone’ changing how millions of visitors enter and exit the continent each year. Photography: Daniel Schludi.

Europe’s new border controls

By Geoffrey Williams and Josh Chandler

Briefly …

Europe is in the process of implementing a major border update. A new Entry/Exit System will soon replace passport stamping across ‘the Schengen Zone’ changing how millions of visitors enter and exit the continent each year.

For decades, travellers from around the world have been accustomed to flashing a passport at Europe’s borders and breezing through with a stamp. But that familiar ritual is about to change. The European Union (EU) is introducing a new Entry/Exit System (EES), designed to modernise and secure travel into ‘the Schengen Zone’, which is the vast area of Europe where border control between countries has largely disappeared.

The Schengen Zone

The Schengen Zone is Europe’s passport-free travel area – a network of countries that have abolished internal border checks between them. For instance, a traveller could board a train in France and journey through Belgium and the Netherlands without ever showing a passport, moving as freely as one might between Australian states or American cities.

Within this zone, people can cross borders without routine checks, allowing easier movement for residents, tourists and business travellers alike. The Schengen Agreement, which created this border-free zone, has become a cornerstone of European travel, promoting openness while relying on a shared system of external border control and security.

Hallstatt is a village on Lake Hallstatt's western shore in Austria’s mountainous Salzkammergut region. Photography: Nikolay Kovalenko.

The Schengen countries

EU members in Schengen: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden.
Non-EU members in Schengen: Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland.
EU members not in Schengen: Ireland (Common Travel Area with the UK) and Cyprus (pending full integration).

What the EES means for travellers

The Entry/Exit System will record details such as a traveller’s name, passport information, and biometric data (including fingerprints and facial images) each time they enter or leave the Schengen Zone. When the Entry/Exit System is operational, passport stamping will continue during a 180-day transition period, after which time only the digital system will be used.

For most travellers, including Australians, New Zealanders, Canadians and Americans, the change will be noticeable mainly at automated border gates. For first-time visitors under the new system, border checks may take a little longer. Travellers will need to scan their passports, have their fingerprints and facial image captured, and confirm entry details. Once these biometric records are stored in the system, entry is expected to be faster, using facial recognition to confirm your identity.

While the system aims for efficiency, initial implementation may lead to longer wait times for all travellers, especially first-time visitors, who will need to complete the full check-in process (including answering questions about their trip), at automated kiosks.

When the Entry/Exit System is operational, passport stamping will continue during a 180-day transition period, after which time only the digital system will be used. Photography: Baiterek Media.

Why the change?

The EU says the system will strengthen border security, reduce illegal overstays and make travel more efficient in the long term. It’s also part of a broader move toward digital borders, ahead of the launch of the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS), a separate pre-travel authorisation expected to take effect soon after EES.

What to expect

At first, the new process may cause delays, particularly at busy airports and land crossings. Travellers are advised to allow extra time and to check whether their airline or destination country has issued updated guidance.

While the shift to digital entry may sound daunting, officials say the system is designed to simplify movement across one of the world’s busiest travel regions, eventually replacing passports with a smoother, more secure digital identity. For solo travellers, the transition may take a moment to adjust to, but it marks the beginning of a more streamlined and secure way to move across Europe’s borders.

You can find more information about Europe’s new digital border control system here.

Geoffrey Williams is the Founder and Publishing Curator of The Solo Traveller, and Josh Chandler is a freelance writer based in the United Kingdom.