A system registering the entry and exit of foreigners from outside the EU is being launched
On Sunday, the Entry/Exit System (EES) will be launched in Europe, which will register the entry and exit only of third-country nationals traveling for a short-term stay. Refusals of entry will also be registered in the system – Border Guard spokesman Lt. Col. Andrzej Juźwiak told PAP.
According to the Border Guard spokesman, in Poland the EES system will first be launched at the Medyka-Szeginie road border crossing and at the Przemyśl-Mościska railway crossing. He added that the EES will register citizens of non-EU countries going for a short stay, up to 90 days in a period of 180 days, to European countries using the EES.
– Traveler data will be recorded in the EES regardless of whether they require a short-stay visa or benefit from visa-free travel. Refusals of entry will also be recorded in the system. The EES will not introduce any new requirements for people exercising the right to free movement, Juźwiak noted.
Thanks to the EES, it will be known who, where and when enters the European Union. The system will enable more effective identification of people posing a threat to security, people exceeding the permitted period of stay, and the prevention of identity and document fraud.
– The use of biometric data will ensure that travelers cannot use multiple identities or misuse travel documents in order to exceed the permitted period of stay. The European Entry/Exit System (EES) increases the effectiveness of border controls by detecting security threats and ensuring that only authorized persons cross external borders, emphasized the Border Guard spokesman.
He added that the EES will be implemented gradually, and European countries will introduce individual elements of the EES in stages, including the collection of biometric data such as facial image and fingerprints. – This means that travelers' biometric data, such as facial image and fingerprints, may not be immediately collected at every border crossing, Juźwiak said.
The spokesman admitted that in the initial phase of its launch there may be difficulties related to the extended time of border checks. – This gradual implementation will last until April 9, 2026. From April 10, 2026, EES will be fully operational and from that date stamping passports will be replaced by electronic registration in the system – he said.
The Entry/Exit System is a new European border management system enabling the registration of non-EU nationals going for a short stay within the EU whenever they cross the external borders of 29 European countries.
The European countries that use the EES are: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Spain, Iceland, Kingdom of the Netherlands, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Germany, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Czech Republic, Romania, Switzerland, Sweden, Slovakia, Slovenia, Hungary, Italy and Latvia.
The EES will collect personal data appearing on the travel document, including name and surname, date of birth, citizenship; date and place of each entry and exit from the 29 European countries using the EES; biometric data, including facial photo and/or fingerprints, as well as possible information about refusal of entry.
The launch of the integrated Entry/Exit system (EES) in October 2025 was agreed and confirmed during the Polish Presidency of the EU Council, where – as the ministry pointed out – Poland's key role allowed the finalization of talks between member states.
The new integrated system will allow the services of all Member States to check at any time whether a person's stay is legal. It will help identify travelers who overstay and eliminate the need to manually stamp passports.
Marcin Chomiuk (PAP)
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