The long-awaited Entry and Exit System (EES) will begin operating at Spanish borders from October and be phased in progressively, starting with a trial at the airport in Spain’s capital on Sunday October 12th.
The EU’s long-delayed Entry and Exit System (EES) will start operating in Spain on October 12th.
The new electronic border control scheme, which involves taking fingerprints and facial scans from non-EU travellers, is designed to gradually replace the current system of manual passport stamps.
READ ALSO: Travel to Spain – Your questions answered about EES and ETIAS
Each EU member state is required to have at least one point of entry operating EES checks from October 12th, with the system due to be phased in over the course of six months.
In Spain, the use of EES will be phased in gradually. According to a statement from Spain’s Interior Ministry: “during the six-month trial of the EU EES, it will be implemented progressively at Spanish border crossing points, first at airports, in a second phase at land borders and finally at sea borders.”
The first airport, the Ministry says, will be in the capital: “On Sunday 12 October, the first test will be carried out on a flight landing at Madrid-Barajas-Adolfo Suárez airport early in the morning.”
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What is EES?
The Entry and Exit System is an EU-wide database designed to register the entry and exit of non-EU nationals visiting the Schengen Area for short stays.
It will automatically record each entry and exit, tracking how long travellers spend in the Schengen Area to ensure they do not exceed the 90-day rule.
The stated aims of the scheme are twofold: to increase border security and clamp down on visa overstayers via stricter controls, and to make passport checks quicker and more efficient.
The EES was initially supposed to launch last November, but was postponed at the last minute due to border infrastructure delays in multiple member states.
With the start date now confirmed for October 12th, EU countries will be required to enforce the system at all border checkpoints by April 10th, 2026.
READ ALSO: How will the EU’s new EES passport checks affect the 90-day rule?
