The Entry-Exit System (EES) will be implemented at the EU's external borders as of 12 October 2025. IKV Chairperson Ayhan Zeytinoğlu made a statement on the matter, informing those travelling to the 29 countries included in the system and said:

“The EES system will be implemented gradually over a six-month period by 29 European countries as of 12 October 2025 and will be fully operational on 10 April 2026.

If you are a non-EU citizen travelling to one of the 29 countries covered by the EES, your travel document details, ticket, entry and exit dates, and biometric data will be electronically recorded in the system. You will be subject to the system even if you enter on a short-stay visa or are a citizen of a visa-exempt country.

Although passport stamping will continue at border crossings initially, the process will become fully electronic once the system is fully implemented. If you are entering with a short-term Schengen visa, only your facial image will be stored in the system. This is because your fingerprints will already have been taken during the visa application process. If you are travelling without a visa, i.e. if you are a citizen of a visa-free country, then your four fingerprints and facial image will be stored. Fingerprints are not taken from children under the age of 12.

Chairperson Zeytinoğlu continued by explaining the purpose of the system:

“The aim is to speed up border controls, identify individuals who have overstayed their visas, prevent identity fraud, and enhance security to combat terrorism and organised crime.”

Will the System Be Fully Automated?

This depends on the situation at border crossing points in these countries. The 29 countries using EES may choose to automate the process further. A self-service system may be available at border crossings, particularly at airports. In this system, you can register yourself with your biometric passport upon entry, check whether your information is registered in the EES, and then upload your information to be verified by a passport officer. After using the self-service system, the officer in the passport control area will be able to see the information you entered through the system and may ask additional questions. The final decision regarding your entry will still be made by the passport officer. Therefore, queues at border controls will not disappear immediately, but they are expected to gradually decrease as the system becomes more automated. Of course, you must have a biometric passport to use the self-service points.

Chairperson Zeytinoğlu recalled Türkiye's visa liberalisation process and stated that visa liberalisation could be back on the agenda, provided that Türkiye fulfils the remaining six criteria.

The 29 European countries covered by the EES are as follows:

EU Members: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.

Other European Countries: Iceland, Norway and Switzerland