The short version
- The Entry/Exit System (EES) is the EU's new digital record of each time a visitor enters or leaves the Schengen area.
- It covers short visits by people from outside the EU. It replaces the stamps in your passport.
- It counts your days and flags you if you stay past your 90.
- It keeps each record for 3 years after you leave. If no exit is recorded, it keeps your data for 5 years.
What is the Entry/Exit System?
It is a digital record of each time a visitor from outside the EU crosses the Schengen border. Border guards used to stamp your passport. Now your entry and exit go into one EU system instead.
The rules are in an EU law, Regulation (EU) 2017/2226. It is one central system, shared by all 29 Schengen countries.
When did the new EES start?
It started in stages in October 2025. The European Commission says it has been fully running since 10 April 2026. Passport stamps are being replaced by digital records.
Who does EES cover?
People from outside the EU on a short stay, with or without a visa. A short stay means up to 90 days in any 180-day period. If you travel on a UK, US or Australian passport, for example, it covers you when you visit.
It does not cover you if you hold a residence permit or a long-stay visa for a Schengen country. A temporary permit, given while your first application is checked, does not count. EES still covers you until the permit itself is granted.
What does EES record?
It keeps a file on you with the details from your passport, a photo of your face and your fingerprints. It adds the date and place of each entry and each exit, and any time you were refused entry. From those records, it counts your days for the border guard.
Does EES change the 90/180 rule?
No. The rule is the same as before: 90 days in any 180-day period, across all Schengen countries. What is new is that a computer now keeps the count. Read how the Schengen 90/180 rule works to see how the days are counted.
A few countries have old deals that let some passports stay longer in that one country. Under EES, that extra time has to be entered in your record. You ask for it when you arrive, or by the last working day of your 90 days. If it is not recorded, EES can flag you as an overstayer.
What happens if you stay too long?
EES flags your record. If no exit is recorded by the end of your allowed stay, you go on a list of people who stayed too long. Depending on the country, that can mean a fine, being removed from the country or a ban on coming back.
If the record is wrong, you can prove it. Under the border rules, you can show you kept to your days with any credible evidence, like a transport ticket or proof you were outside Schengen. One simple habit is to keep your boarding passes from every trip.
How long does EES keep your data?
For 3 years after your exit is recorded. If no exit is recorded, it keeps your data for 5 years from the day your allowed stay ended.
If you later get a residence permit or a long-stay visa, the country that gave it must erase your EES file within 5 working days. The erasure covers every Schengen country.
Can you fix a wrong EES record?
Yes. EU law says an overstay flag must be removed and the record fixed if you show one of these:
- It was a mistake. The record itself is wrong.
- You could not leave. Serious events you could not see coming kept you there.
- You got a right to stay. For example, a permit.
You can ask any country that uses EES, ideally one you travelled to. Under EU law, it must reply within 45 days.
How do you check your days before you travel?
Count them before you book, not at the border. Our free Schengen calculator adds up your trips and shows the days you have used, the last day you can stay and when you can come back. It also shows the old extra-time deals for your passport.