The EU’s Entry/Exit System has been fully operational at all external Schengen border crossing points since 10 April 2026, with more than 150 million entries and exits registered since its launch.
The digital border system applies to non-EU nationals travelling for a short stay in the Schengen area — the group of European countries that have removed internal border controls — and records travel document details alongside biometric data such as fingerprints and a facial image, the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs informed.
EU nationals, as well as citizens of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland, are not registered in the system.
Case cited from February 2026
One example of the system in action came in February 2026, when border checks identified a man “who wasn’t who he claimed to be”, the Commission department said.
The system showed three earlier attempts by the same person to enter the Schengen area using different identities.
The Entry/Exit System is used by border officers and law enforcement authorities to help identify security risks and support efforts against serious crime and terrorism, the Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs noted.
