HIBAPRESS
The European Commission in Brussels announced that European countries began on Sunday the gradual implementation of the new Entry/Exit System (EES) designed for citizens of non-EU countries, with the aim of enhancing border security and collecting more traveler data to help combat crime.
Several major European countries have adopted a phased approach to avoid any disruption to the work of border authorities, as Dusseldorf Airport in Germany became the first to activate the new system, which will later be generalized to the rest of the border points.
The new system requires visitors from outside the European Union to register electronically and provide their biometric data, such as fingerprints and facial images, to store them in a central database, in addition to entry and exit dates. This excludes holders of residence permits or those who have direct family ties with citizens of the European Union.
The system will be generalized over the next six months in all 29 member states of the Schengen area, in preparation for its full implementation by April 10, 2026, which will make passport stamps a thing of the past.
The German Ministry of the Interior explained that the system will be activated after Dusseldorf Airport in Frankfurt and Munich airports, before gradually including the rest of the airports and ports.
The European Union aims through this step to enhance security, combat identity theft, and track those who exceed the permitted period of stay. The Commissioner for Home Affairs, Magnus Brunner, described the system as the "digital backbone" of the new European policy on immigration and asylum.
It is also expected, by the end of 2026, to launch the "ETIAS" system for electronic travel licenses, which will require citizens of more than 50 countries not required to obtain a prior visa to apply electronically before entering the Schengen area, similar to the systems in place in the United States and the United Kingdom.
