Greece joins EU-wide biometric border shake-up with EES

Greece is moving in step with Spain, Portugal, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland as the European Union’s long-planned Entry/Exit System reshapes border checks for millions of non-EU travellers.

A new era for EU border checks

The EU’s Entry/Exit System, commonly referred to as EES, is a large-scale biometric database designed to record the movements of non-EU nationals crossing the external borders of the Schengen area for short stays of up to 90 days in any 180-day period. The system replaces the familiar manual passport stamps with an automated register of each entry, exit and any refusal of entry.

According to publicly available information from EU institutions, the EES entered into operation on 12 October 2025 with a gradual rollout across 29 participating European countries, including Greece as well as Spain, Portugal, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland. A transition period allows border authorities to phase in the new technology before the system becomes fully operational on 10 April 2026.

European Commission material describes EES as part of a broader push to modernise external border management and improve the enforcement of time limits on short-stay visits. By automating checks and calculating days of stay, the system is intended to help identify overstays more reliably than paper passport stamps, while also feeding information to other EU security databases.

For travellers, the most visible change is the way crossings are recorded. Instead of an ink stamp, an electronic file in the EES will track the date, time and border crossing point every time a non-EU national enters or leaves a participating country for a short stay.

Who is affected and which borders are changing

Public guidance indicates that EES applies to non-EU and non-EFTA nationals entering the Schengen area’s external borders for short stays, whether they are visa-exempt or hold a short-stay Schengen visa. This includes visitors from countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and many others who currently travel visa-free for tourism or business, as well as travellers who require a visa.

Greece’s participation means that air, sea and land border crossings into the country from non-Schengen territories will progressively adopt EES checks during the rollout period. Similar changes are taking place at external borders in Spain and Portugal, at major hubs in France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands, at Scandinavian gateways in Sweden and at Swiss airports and land crossings.

Travellers holding residence permits from Schengen states may experience different treatment, depending on national implementation and the type of document they carry. EU information notes that long-stay residents and those crossing internal Schengen borders within the area are not the primary targets of EES, which is focused on external border controls for short-term visits. However, carriers and border operators advise all passengers to check the latest guidance from the country they are entering.

Internal borders between Schengen states, such as flights from Germany to Greece or trains from France to Italy, remain generally free of systematic passport control. EES checks are concentrated at the first point of entry into or last exit from the Schengen area, such as arriving in Athens from London or departing from Amsterdam to New York.

How the new biometric process works at the border

Under the new procedure, non-EU travellers registering in EES for the first time will undergo a more detailed check than they may be used to. Official explanations from EU agencies describe a multi-step process that starts with scanning the travel document, usually a biometric passport, and capturing the traveller’s facial image and fingerprints.

The system records personal details contained in the travel document, such as name, nationality, date of birth, document number and expiry date, along with biometric identifiers and the entry or exit data. For visa-exempt travellers, four fingerprints are generally collected in addition to a live facial image. For those with short-stay visas, fingerprints already supplied during the visa application may in many cases be reused, although border staff can take new biometrics when necessary.

Once a traveller has been registered in EES, subsequent crossings should be faster. EU guidance indicates that repeat travellers will not normally need to provide fingerprints again within three years, unless a document has changed, the data cannot be matched or there are technical issues. A new facial image may be captured if the automated comparison with existing records fails.

Airports and seaports in participating countries are expected to rely heavily on self-service kiosks and automated gates to handle the biometric enrolment and verification steps. Land border posts, particularly on busy road and rail routes, are making more tailored arrangements, with some crossings planning dedicated lanes or pre-registration areas to avoid bottlenecks.

What travellers should expect: queues, timing and data rules

Travel industry briefings and recent media coverage highlight that the initial months of EES have brought longer processing times in some locations, especially during busy holiday periods. First-time registration requires several additional steps, and travellers unfamiliar with the process may take longer at kiosks or manual booths, resulting in queues that can extend beyond usual peak-season waiting times.

Authorities and travel organisations are advising passengers to arrive earlier than before for flights and ferries to Schengen destinations, particularly at major hubs in Spain, France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands, as well as at Greek islands that see high volumes of seasonal traffic. Motorists crossing land borders into the Schengen area, including routes into Greece and from Switzerland, are similarly being encouraged to factor in extra time.

EU-level information sets out specific data retention rules for EES. In general, records for travellers who comply with the authorised stay are stored for three years from the date of exit, while data for those who overstay may be kept for five years. The system is designed to automatically calculate remaining days in the 90/180-day allowance, helping border guards identify travellers who are close to the limit or who have already exceeded it.

Public documents explain that EES is separate from, but complementary to, the forthcoming European Travel Information and Authorisation System, known as ETIAS. ETIAS is expected to introduce mandatory advance travel authorisation for visa-exempt visitors in the coming years, while EES focuses on recording actual border crossings in real time.

Practical steps to prepare for EES when visiting Greece and beyond

For travellers planning trips to Greece, Spain, Portugal, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden or Switzerland after the full operational date of 10 April 2026, preparation starts with documentation. A machine-readable biometric passport with at least several months’ validity beyond the intended stay is strongly recommended, as this is the document type most compatible with automated EES checks at kiosks and e-gates.

Travellers are being encouraged by airlines, ferry companies and travel management firms to familiarise themselves with EES basics before departure. Understanding that fingerprints and a facial image will be taken on the first trip, that no passport stamp will be placed in the document, and that travel history will instead be logged electronically can help reduce confusion at the border.

Passengers should also build additional time into itineraries that involve tight connections at European hubs. For instance, a short layover in a city like Frankfurt or Amsterdam when entering the Schengen area for the first time under EES might be risky if large numbers of passengers are undergoing initial registration at the same time. Choosing longer connection times or direct flights where possible may provide greater resilience.

Experts in corporate and leisure travel recommend keeping personal records of entries and exits, even though the EES will track this digitally. Retaining boarding passes, accommodation bookings and transport receipts can be useful if questions arise about time spent in the region, especially for frequent visitors who move regularly between Greece, other Schengen states and non-Schengen destinations.