New Entry and Exit System from 12 October: EU and Denmark to Strengthen External Border Control

The new Entry/Exit System (EES) will start operations on 12 October 2025. Each entry or exit through an external border of the Kingdom of Denmark or another Schengen country of a third-country national will be registered in the EES, for example, when arriving at Copenhagen Airport.

At the border crossing, the third-country national’s passport will be scanned, and their fingerprints and facial image will be collected. The EES will gradually replace the physical stamping of passports for third-country nationals entering the Schengen Area for a short stay.

The EES is intended to improve security by enabling authorities to better identify individuals attempting to enter with false travel documents or to detect those overstaying their authorised stay in the Schengen Area. The EES will also support the prevention, detection, and investigation of terrorist offences and other serious crimes.

Travellers departing on or shortly after 12 October are advised to arrive in good time, as the implementation of the EES may cause queues at border con-trol, particularly at airports.

Minister for Immigration and Integration, Rasmus Stoklund, says:

We must do everything we can to prevent terrorists and irregular mi-grants from entering the Schengen Area illegally. It is crucial that we main-tain effective control over third-country nationals entering Denmark and the Schengen Area, so that we can strengthen security both at the ex-ternal borders and within Denmark and the Schengen Area itself. With an EU-wide IT system, it will become easier to monitor who is crossing our borders.

Naturally, practical challenges may arise when such a large-scale IT system is introduced. Although the new checks in the EES only apply to third-country nationals, the increased level of control may affect waiting times for all travellers – especially in the beginning, as authorities and travellers adapt to the new system and procedures. Therefore, it is advisable to arrive in good time at the airport if you are travelling during the autumn holidays, particularly if you are departing for a destination outside the Schengen Area. I know that the authorities are doing everything possible to ensure a smooth transition to the new system.

Facts

• The Entry/Exit System (EES) is an EU-wide IT system for registering the entry and exit of visa-required and visa-free third-country nationals travelling for short stays in the Schengen Area (up to 90 days within any 180-day period).
• Registration in the EES will eventually replace the physical stamping of passports for third-country nationals entering the Schengen Area for short stays. The system aims to modernise border control and improve security both at the Schengen Area’s external borders and within the Schengen Area.
• When a third-country national crosses an external Schengen border for the first time, the border authorities will create an individual file in the EES. The EES file will contain data from the travel document (including name, nationality, and date of birth), details of entries into and exits from the Schengen Area, biometric data (facial image and fingerprints), and information on any refusal of entry.
• The EES will be gradually implemented across 29 European coun-tries between 12 October 2025 and 9 April 2026.
• To minimise potential operational challenges, the system will be gradually implemented at Copenhagen Airport,  while other border crossing points within the Kingdom of Denmark are expected to be fully operational from 12 October 2025.

Further information about the Entry/Exit System (EES) can be found on the website of the Ministry of Immigration and Integration