The European Parliament has given its final approval to the Entry/Exit System (EES), an automated border management tool that will replace passport stamps for non-EU nationals crossing into the Schengen area. After years of delays, the European Commission confirmed on Wednesday, September 24th, that the long-awaited system will launch on October 12th, with a phased rollout over six months.
Yann Leriche, CEO of Eurotunnel, sought to reassure travelers that the impact on crossing times will be minor. The new process would add “a maximum of two minutes” to the average 90-minute journey from English to French motorways, he said.
Eurotunnel, which operates the Channel Tunnel car shuttle service, has invested £80mn in kiosks, technology, and staff training to prepare for the rollout. It has also hired 120 staff to guide passengers through the new self-service system. The company plans to begin processing lorries and coaches in October, followed by passenger cars by the end of the year.
The EES will register each traveller’s date and place of entry and exit, record refused entries, and collect biometric data, including fingerprints and facial images, at airports, seaports, and land borders. This digital register will replace the current manual passport stamping system, which the Commission has described as slow, prone to errors, and unable to systematically detect overstayers.
Magnus Brunner, commissioner for migration, defended the rollout, saying the new system will “strengthen security … by helping us identify overstayers, prevent irregular movements, and reduce document and identity fraud.” The Commission emphasized that the EES is designed to protect European citizens, support migration management, and contribute to the EU’s broader security objectives while respecting fundamental rights and data protection.
But privacy advocates and civil liberties organizations have concerns.
Critics of the system warn that mandatory fingerprinting and facial scans violate individual privacy rights by enabling intrusive state surveillance. Without strict safeguards, such data could be misused, paving the way for mass monitoring and discouraging free movement. The rapid expansion of programs like the EES, they argue—especially with its planned integration into ETIAS, the EU’s pre-travel authorization system launching in 2026—marks a dangerous shift toward normalizing invasive oversight without adequate checks, threatening core democratic freedoms in the name of security.
First proposed in 2016 as part of the Smart Borders Package and formally adopted in 2017, the EES was meant to be operational last November but was postponed due to technical and logistical difficulties across several member states. Under the current plan, countries must operate the system at half of their border crossing points by the three-month mark, with full deployment expected after six months. Ireland and Cyprus will be excluded, but non-EU Schengen members Norway, Iceland, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein will also participate.Yet, despite assurances about efficiency and improved security, the system has sparked concerns over longer waiting times and travel disruption. To ease the transition, the Commission has promised information campaigns across airports and border checkpoints in the months ahead. Officials argue that, once fully implemented, the EES will enable faster border checks through automated gates and self-service systems, benefiting regular travelers while giving authorities stronger tools to curb irregular immigration and cross-border crime.
