Americans Will Have To Get Fingerprinted In These 22 European Countries Starting October 12 Confirmed

This yr, People will begin getting fingerprinted when touring to most European nations, as a part of the brand new Entry/Exit System making use of to all non-European guests.

Generally known as EES, this new system will see the introduction of recent biometric knowledge assortment kiosks throughout European airports. As soon as operational, vacationers might want to give their fingerprints and scan their passports and faces when getting into and leaving Europe.

The goal is to forestall and catch overstayers within the Schengen Space, Europe’s border-free zone comprising 29 nations, and make sure the 90-day rule is revered. As an American customer, you are solely allowed to stay in Schengen for 90 days out of any 180-day interval.

Nevertheless, not all European nations might be imposing the EES in the identical manner, or launching it on the similar time.

With the official launch date being tomorrow, October 12, these are the 22 EU member states which are prepared (or partially-ready) to implement the brand new system:

Austria

As confirmed by the Austrian Embassy in the United States, Austria is without doubt one of the European states anticipated to robotically implement the EES system as of October 12.

In their very own phrases, ‘most U.S. residents visiting Austria for brief stays ought to anticipate to have their biodata, together with fingerprints and facial photos, digitally collected on the border’, each upon arrival and departure, from that date onward.

Austria is anticipated to roll out the EES regularly throughout its airports over six months starting October 12. The listing of entry factors becoming a member of the sooner trials has not been unveiled, however it’s positive to incorporate Vienna Airport (VIE), the biggest hub within the nation, and the one one to host Transatlantic flights.

Belgium

Because the host of a number of European establishments and the capital of the European Union, it is solely pure that Brussels would lead by instance:

The Authorities of its dad or mum nation, Belgium, has asserted that the brand new registration system will start working as early as October 12, throughout most Belgian airports and worldwide ports, in addition to the Brussels-Midi station, for these arriving on the Eurostar from London.

Belgium might be taking fingerprints of all non-Europeans who enter the Schengen area for brief stays, ‘whether or not they’re topic to visa restrictions or not’—this consists of U.S. passport holders touring as vacationers.

Croatia

As we reported again on September 22, Croatia’s Ministry of Inside knowledgeable that they are going to be activating the system on October 12, alongside a number of of their European counterparts.

The entire listing of impacted airports and maritime ports has not been printed, although it is a majority of them that might be participating within the first waves of registration. These embrace Zagreb Airport (ZAG), Break up (SPU), and Dubrovnik (DBV).

Concerning street crossings shared with Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro, which comprise Croatia’s non-Schengen borders, extra info is but required. Both manner, for those who’re driving into Croatia from one among these three nations within the close to future, put together for some delay.

Czechia

Czechia (alternatively generally known as the Czech Republic) may also be tagging alongside on October 12. Implementation of the EES system will happen at each single one of many nation’s exterior Schengen borders on this precise date.

Seeing that fellow EU/Schengen states encompass Czechia, we will safely assume this refers to worldwide airports, extra particularly, Prague’s Václav Havel Airport (PRG), Ostrava – Mosnov Worldwide Airport (OSR), Brno – Turany Airport (BRQ), and Karlovy Fluctuate Airport (KLV).

These are the one 4 airports within the nation that host non-Schengen flights—Prague specifically is ready to welcome American Airways’ new direct flights from Philly subsequent spring.

Denmark

Over in Scandinavia, Denmark might be among the many first to undertake the brand new Entry/Exit System. The information was delivered in a press release by Copenhagen Airport this week, the place the preliminary trial will occur earlier than the gradual nationwide rollout.

Airport authorities have acknowledged that every one the mandatory infrastructure to ‘guarantee a easy transition’ to the brand new system is already in place.

Regardless of that, vacationers ought to watch out for ‘longer ready instances’ in the event that they’re registering in Copenhagen, as procedures are up to date. For that cause, the airport has deployed ‘extra stuff’ to information newcomers and help them in utilizing the EES kiosks.

Estonia

Estonia won’t solely take part within the preliminary EES launch on October 12, however it’s going to additionally develop into the primary European nation to implement it throughout all its exterior borders.

This has been confirmed by the Estonian Police and Border Guard Board: primarily based on their assertion, the EES might be utilized in Tallinn Airport, all the nation’s seaports which host non-European sea vessels, and main street and rail crossings with Russia.

Estonia’s preparedness isn’t any shock, on condition that Tallinn homes the headquarters of eu-LISA, the European Union Company for the Operational Administration of Giant-Scale IT Methods… they usually’re those answerable for making the EES operational.

Finland

The Finnish Border Guard can also be readying itself for the Entry/Exit System on October 12, as shared by Finavia, the corporate answerable for managing and growing Finland’s airport community.

The border authority will implement the system at border management factors over a six-month interval to offer vacationers time to adapt to the brand new process and guarantee a steady transition. Throughout this era, Finavia will help them by guaranteeing ‘terminal area preparations’ and offering passenger steering.

The principle airport involved is Helsinki-Vantaa (HEL), Finland’s most important worldwide hub. Different airports that could be impacted from October 12 embrace Rovaniemi (RVN), the gateway to Lapland, and Kittilä (KTT), which additionally serves the Arctic area.

France

France is one more nation gearing as much as launch the EES, if not absolutely, then on a big scale on October 12. French authorities have unveiled that registration for travelers touchdown within the nation will happen in two methods: both through a self-service kiosk or within the type of a cell pill dealt with by border brokers.

Opposite to most European nations, France has gone forward and listed up each airport, practice station, and maritime port the place the EES might be operational this fall.

Discover the entire listing under:

Airports

• Paris-Charles de Gaulle (CDG)
• Paris Orly (ORY)
• Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg (BSL)
• Beauvais (BVA)
• Bordeaux (BOD)
• Lyon (LYS)
• Marseille (MRS)
• Montpellier (MPL)
• Nantes (NTE)
• Good (NCE)
• Strasbourg (SXB)
• Toulouse (TLS)

Practice stations

• Gare du Nord – France (Eurostar)
• St Pancras Station – London (Eurostar)
• Coquelles Terminal – France (Eurotunnel)
• Folkestone Terminal – United Kingdom(Eurotunnel)

Maritime ports

• Caen
• Calais
• Cherbourg
• Dieppe
• Douvres
• Dunkirk
• Le Havre
• Marseille
• Roscoff
• Saint-Malo
• Sete

Germany

Germany is launching the EES in a gradual method from October 12. The Federal Ministry of the Inside, alongside the Federal Police, is working together to make sure an entire nationwide rollout has been accomplished by April 9, 2026.

That being mentioned, on October 12, Düsseldorf Airport (DUS) is the one one anticipated to have it absolutely carried out. Frankfurt (FRA) and Munich (MUC) will observe subsequent, at an unspecified date.

Dates haven’t been supplied for Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER), Hamburg (HAM), Cologne Bonn Airport (CGN), nor Germany’s sea borders, although it is secure to say the brand new system might be operational in these by spring 2026.

Greece

Greece’s participation within the October 12 launch of the EES was confirmed by its Embassy in London. Precise entry factors affected weren’t supplied, however the Greek mission has signalled that guide passport stamps are quickly to get replaced by fingerprinting.

Main Greek airports the place the EES is anticipated to make a debut this fall embrace Athens (ATHN), the one worldwide hub to host U.S. flights and Greece’s busiest airport, Heraklion (HER), the capital of Crete, and Thessaloniki (SKG).

Greek islands within the neighborhood of Turkey, like Lesbos, Chios, Kos, and Rhodes, that every one see a excessive inflow of boat crossings from the neighboring nation, may additionally be a part of the early registration marketing campaign, however we now have not been capable of absolutely confirm this info.

Italy

In the event you’re heading to Italy this fall, you ought to be ready to offer your fingerprints and smile for the image when touchdown within the following hubs:

• Milan Linate (LIN)
• Milan Malpensa (MXP)
• Rome Fiumicino (FCO)

These 3 airports, a few of Italy’s busiest, might be among the first to implement the Entry/Exit System on October 12, shortly adopted by the ports of Civitavecchia and Genoa. By October 20, it’s estimated that every one airports will be capable to register not less than 10% of vacationers.

Italy will proceed increasing its EES utilization progressively, throughout smaller airports and its maritime borders with non-Schengen states, and by April 9, the deadline for absolutely imposing the brand new rule, the registration quota will rise to 100%.

Latvia

In keeping with the Public Broadcasting of Latvia, the small Baltic nation is able to toggle on the EES system on October 12 at Riga Airport (RIX).

This airport serves the nationwide capital, Riga, and it is the nation’s busiest and solely main hub, dealing with over 5 million passengers a yr. The Freeport of Riga, straddling the Baltic Sea, may additionally be involved by the EES implementation.

Latvia additionally shares land borders with two non-EU member states, Russia (through the Kaliningrad exclave), and Belarus, but no info has been supplied concerning the registration of vacationers arriving from these specific border crossings.

Lithuania

Following an announcement by the Lithuanian Embassy in Georgia, we now have additionally been capable of affirm that Lithuania is a part of the batch of nations bringing forth the EES this October.

Other than border crossings with Belarus and Russia (additionally through the Kaliningrad exclave), most EES operations in Lithuania might be centered in Vilnius Airport (VNO), serving Vilnius, the Lithuanian capital, and Kaunas (KUN), the nation’s second civil airport.

Pending affirmation, it is usually doable that the Entry/Exit System might be obtainable at Palanga (PLQ), a minor airport close to the Baltic resort city of the identical title, because it hosts flights from not less than 4 non-Schengen locations: Antalya, Dublin, London-Stansted, and Sharm El Sheikh.

Luxembourg

In addition to Estonia, Luxembourg would be the solely different European nation capable of roll out the EES absolutely at its exterior Schengen border.

Then once more, it is not like they’ve that many to handle, as the one exterior border is situated at Luxembourg Airport, and each different land border is shared with a fellow European nation—France, Germany, Belgium, or the Netherlands.

In the event you’re touchdown in Luxembourg from exterior the European Union, your solely manner in is thru Luxembourg Airport (LUX), and the airport has issued a statement informing passengers that the Entry/Exit System might be operational from October 12.

Malta

Very similar to Luxembourg, the tiny Mediterranean nation of Malta is able to introduce the Entry/Exit System at its solely airport, Malta Worldwide Airport (MLA), besides they are going to do it in phases.

Based mostly on the information provided, third nation nationals (and this consists of People) who’re departing from, or arriving in Malta from exterior the Schengen Space, might be ‘randomly chosen’ to cross by means of a biometric passport management lane.

Must you be chosen, yoy could also be requested to offer your passport, take a photograph, or give your fingerprints, however as airport authorities have identified, ‘no registration is required from the passenger’s finish forward of touring by means of Malta Worldwide Airport’.

Norway

In a message addressed to U.S. vacationers, the U.S. Embassy in Norway conveyed that, from October 12, the Scandinavian nation will begin fingerprinting guests, and that they need to put together for brand spanking new procedures on the airport as they work across the new system.

To straight quote them, ‘most U.S. residents visiting Norway for brief stays ought to anticipate to have their biodata, together with fingerprints and facial photos, digitally collected on the border’, beginning this week. This is applicable to these getting into and leaving the nation.

Like different nations adopting the Entry/Exit System, Norway plans to dispose of guide passport stamps by the top of the trial interval on April 9, 2026.

Portugal

The Embassy of Portugal in Cyprus authenticated in a consular notice that the Iberian nation ‘will participate within the entry into operation of the Entry/Exit System’ from October 12.

In Portugal, the EEs will finally change the standard stamps given out by border guards with centralized digital data, and the transition interval from guide passport checks to the automated biometric examine will take 6 months, consistent with the EU-wide directive.

We’re unsure at this second which Portuguese airports are able to roll from tomorrow, however we’ll take a guess and say it is most likely Lisbon (LIS) and Porto (OPO), two of the principle worldwide airports within the nation, that may host EES trials first.

Slovenia

A small alpine nation in Central Europe full of fairytale cities, medieval castles, and epic mountainous surroundings, Slovenia shouldn’t be shying away from tightening border controls if meaning catching the odd overstayer.

Surprisingly well-equipped for a rustic of its dimension, it’s introducing EES on October 12 as deliberate, no delays, at a number of of its most important outer-Schengen border crossings.

These embrace three crossing factors for worldwide air visitors, Ljubljana (LJU), Maribor (MBX), and Portorož (POW), and two maritime entry factors, on the ports of Koper and Piran. Implementation in these websites will be gradual from October 12, with completion scheduled for April 10, 2026.

Romania

Romanian Border Police is ready to run the Entry/Exit System from October 12, amid the broader EU rollout.

In their very own wording, a ‘phased system’ might be used, ‘initially at chosen crossing factors’, earlier than being expanded to your entire exterior EU border, over a interval of 170 calendar days counting from the launch date.

As for these crossing factors, they weren’t as descriptive because the French in letting us know the precise airports, practice crossings, and maritime borders the place the system might be energetic starting this week. We guess we’ll have to attend and see because the scenario unfolds.

Spain

As we reported ourselves final week, Spain is kickstarting the EES this October 12, first on the Madrid-Barajas Airport (MAD).

Passengers flying into Madrid from exterior the European Union ought to anticipate to see new fingerprinting and facial scan kiosks within the arrival corridor, earlier than they attain the immigration cubicles, and it will quickly be replicated in additional airports throughout the nation.

Relating to land borders—it shares non-Schengen borders with Morocco by means of their exclaves of Ceuta and Melilla, and with the UK by means of the British territory of Gibraltar, situated within the south of Spain—EES enforcement will occur ‘at a later date’.

Sweden

According to its Scandi siblings, Sweden appears to be fully ready to implement the Entry/Exit System from October 12. Not solely that, they even have an app to make registering a little bit simpler.

From the launch date onward, vacationers who land in Arlanda (ARN), Stockholm’s most important airport, Bromma (BMA), the Swedish capital’s secondary hub, Gothenburg-Landvetter (GOT), Malmö (MMX), and even Stockholm area’s minor Skavsta Airport (NYO) will be capable to register prematurely.

They will achieve this utilizing the app Journey to Europe, which might be made obtainable from the App Retailer and Google Play concurrently with the EES on October 12. We do not know precisely how the app connects to the EES as it is not but been launched, however it’s supposed to hurry up checks on the airport.

Switzerland

Lastly, Switzerland, an in depth EU associate and Schengen member state, is planning to implement EES guidelines at its outer Schengen borders in two airports on October 12.

The airports are Basel (BSL), operated collectively with France, and Geneva (GVA). They are going to be adopted by Zurich Airport (ZHR), Switzerland’s most essential entry level, and different smaller airports from mid-November.

As different Schengen states encompass it, Switzerland shouldn’t be anticipated to implement the Entry/Exit System at any land border. The complete implementation throughout the Swiss airport community is scheduled to be finalized by April 2026.

Remaining European International locations

• Bulgaria is rumored to be beginning its EES implementation together with most EU member states on October 12, as reported by a number of information retailers, however we weren’t capable of finding affirmation from Bulgarian officers on this matter
• Hungary is barely introducing EES checks at its land borders with Ukraine on October 12, with an airport rollout set just for November 18
• Iceland has not confirmed whether or not Keflavík Airport (KEF) and Icelandic maritime ports are prepared to begin registering vacationers beneath the brand new system on October 12
• The Netherlands is beginning EES registration regularly at airports, practice stations, and ports at completely different dates, however not instantly on October 12: in Amsterdam-Schiphol (AMS), registration begins November 3. In Rotterdam, The Hague (RTM), it is a little bit sooner, from October 27. At Eindhoven (EIN), November 3 is the beginning date. You may examine EES launch dates for various entry factors here
• Poland is planning to make its EES debut at two checkpoints on the border with Ukraine on October 12. A launch date for airports has not but been set
• Slovakia has acknowledged they’re ready to cooperate with the EU because the EES is launched, however they haven’t confirmed they’re prepared to begin registering passengers on October 12
• Eire and Cyprus are usually not a part of the Schengen Space, and thus, they aren’t anticipated to take part within the Entry/Exit System

In the event you’re flying to Europe this fall as a U.S. customer, you must put together for longer delays on the airport as newcomers get registered, and stricter passport checks because the European Union upgrades its border system.