EU’s biometric Entry/Exit border system set to launch in 2025: Who’ll need to use it?

After numerous delays and setbacks, the EU’s long-awaited Entry/Exit System (EES) may soon be rolling out at a border near you.

On 4 December, the European Commission (EC) proposed a progressive start of operations for the EES, Europe’s new digital border system for non-EU nationals.

Once the proposal has been approved and the EC has set a start date, member states will have six months to deploy it.

Yesterday, the EU’s official EES website confirmed the system will begin in 2025, though no exact date was given. Meaning that nearly nine years after the EES was proposed, it might finally happen.

Here’s what you need to know about how Americans, Brits and other non-EU countries will cross borders into the bloc

The Entry/Exit System will be an automated registration system for UK and other non-EU travellers who don’t require avisa to enter the EU.

Travellers will need to scan theirpassports or other travel document at a self-service kiosk each time they cross an EU external border. It will not apply to legal EU citizens or residents or those with long-stay visas.

The system will register the traveller’s name, biometric data, and the date and place of entry and exit.Facial scans and fingerprint data will be taken every three years and are valid for multiple trips within that period. 

The EES will apply to non-EU citizens - including UK nationals - who come to the bloc for visits, holidays or business and stay for up to 90 days within a 180-day period.

EU officials say the system is being introduced to bolster border security and identify travellers who overstay their permitted time in the Schengen Area (90 days within a 180 day period).

“With the EES, we will know exactly who enters the Schengen Area with a foreign passport,” Ylva