A new verification system at the borders of Romania, from October 12. What are the new changes and how the controls will work
Border Police, Photo: Inquam Photos / Virgil Simonescu
Starting October 12, Romania will operationalize at the borders, along with the other Member States of the European Union, the entry/exit system (EES), the Border Police announced on Monday. Ees is an electronic system that records the date and place of entry and output of citizens in the states that are not part of the EU, including the Republic of Moldova. Biometric data will also be recorded.
What is ees
The input/output system is an electronic system that records the date and place of entry and output of the citizens of third countries admitted for short -term stays – including the citizens of the Republic of Moldova, but also the alphanumeric and biometric data (facial image and four fingerprints), and calculate the duration of authorized stay.
The border police say that “the system does not restrict the existing travel rights, but offers a faster and more secure mechanism, gradually replacing the travel documents.”
According to the Border Police, the purpose of implementing this system is “ensuring a safer, faster and more efficient border control, which will reduce waiting times and contribute to better protection of the European Union borders.”
EES will be put into operation progressively, starting with October 12, 2025, so that Romania will use the STAPIZED system, initially in selected crossing points, and it will be gradually extended, within a maximum of 170 calendar days.
During the total implementation period, the travel documents of the data subjects will continue to be stamped at the entrance and output, the manual stamping ceasing with the complete operationalization of the system.
How will the border control are carried out
When the citizen of a state outside the EU makes the border control present the passport and, if applicable, other necessary documents (for example, residence permit or small traffic permit).
At the first entrance after the operationalization of the EES system, biometric data – facial photography and four fingerprints will be collected – to create an individual file. At the following travel, the border check will be based on the already registered biometric data, which will shorten the waiting time compared to the first registration in the system, explains the border police.
In the event that all the legal conditions are met, the entry into the country will be allowed and registered electronically, and the border policeman will inform the person about the authorized duration of the stay. If, on the contrary, the conditions are not met, the entry refusal is registered in the system and also communicated to the person, according to the border police.
Who is targeted and what are the exceptions
- EES applies to citizens of third -party states (which are not part of the European Union, with the exceptions specified by the regulation) which are admitted for a short -term stay (max. 90 days in any 180 days), andNIVIVA to the citizens of the Republic of Moldova, as well as to third party citizens who are members of the family of a citizen of the Union and do not hold a residence permit.
- Children under 12 years of age and the persons for whom the fingerprints are impossible are exempted from the fingerprint.
- Citizens of third countries holding a long -standing document or visa issued by an EU member state, as well as family members of EU citizens holding a residence permit, do not fall under EES.
The Border Police say that the data is stored in the system for a period of 3 years (or 5 years in the case of refusal to enter or exceed the legal period of residence), “with the strict observance of the European data protection legislation. The data subjects have the right of access, rectification and deletion of data according to the legal framework”.
In order to avoid delays in the control process when crossing the border, the persons who benefit from exceptions from the implementation in the EES system are asked to present, from the moment of control, the supporting documents attesting this status.
During the progressive implementation of the EES, the web service of checking the stay duration will not be available. The automatic calculation of the residence period will be functional after the complete operationalization of the system, says the Border Police.
