EU Entry/Exit System – How We Got Here, and Why

In July 2025, the European Commission (EC) set a date for the start of the EU’s long-planned Entry/Exit System (EES), confirming that the system would enter into operation on 12 October 20251. That decision gave border authorities, carriers and airport operators a target date for moving from an essentially manual process (passport stamping) to an automated, biometric-backed record of short-stay travel.