Soon, most of your European passport stamps will be a relic of the past.
Beginning October 12, 2025, the 29 nations of the European Schengen Area will start phasing out the stamping of travel documents and instead will switch to a new digital Entry/Exit System (EES), which the European Union argues will accelerate border-control processes and improve security. The rollout will begin at a minimum of one external border-crossing point per Schengen country, with full implementation required by April 10, 2026.
“At every single airport, every single harbor, every single road into Europe, we will have digital border controls,” EU commissioner Ylva Johansson said in a speech on August 16, 2024, adding, “When that happens, it will be goodbye to passport stamping, hello to digital checks.”
[The new digital entry system] will replace the current system of manual stamping of passports, which is time-consuming, does not provide reliable data on border crossings, and does not allow a systematic detection of overstayers.
The program has faced repeated delays: Originally slated to launch in 2022, then November 10, 2024, it was pushed back alongside the new automated Entry/Exit System, which will register non-EU travelers digitally. Under EES protocol, and after the implementation of the new system, travelers’ faces and fingerprints will be scanned when they enter Europe for the first time. The software will then take the travelers’ biometric data, which will be used to cross-reference their passport information (including name, ID number, date of birth, and issue and expiration dates) and verify their arrival and exit. Once that information is collected, only a facial scan will be required for future visits.
Confirming travelers’ identities and their comings and goings digitally removes the need to physically stamp passports. “EES will replace the current system of manual stamping of passports, which is time-consuming, does not provide reliable data on border crossings, and does not allow a systematic detection of overstayers,” the European Commission’s Department for Migration and Home Affairs said in a statement.
Europe isn’t the only place phasing out passport stamps. Several countries around the world have already moved toward digital entry records. Australia stopped stamping most passports in 2012 in favor of electronic immigration records, and New Zealand followed suit in 2016. Singapore eliminated passport stamps in 2022, opting for emailed electronic visit passes instead. Together, these changes reflect a global shift toward automated border management, with many governments citing speed, accuracy, and security as the driving forces.
Even without stamps, passports remain essential. Travelers will still need to carry them to verify identity, present them to border agents, and use them as a link to their biometric records. In other words, the move to digital entry systems changes the process, but not the requirement to have a valid passport on hand.
Which European countries will no longer stamp passports?
The new digital EES is being adopted by the 29 countries in the European Schengen Area. They are:
- Austria
- Belgium
- Bulgaria
- Croatia
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Estonia
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Hungary
- Iceland
- Italy
- Latvia
- Liechtenstein
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Malta
- Netherlands
- Norway
- Poland
- Portugal
- Romania
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
It’s worth noting that Cyprus and Ireland are not part of Schengen border controls and will continue with their own entry procedures, so passports will still be stamped manually there.
How will the new digital entry process in Europe work?
To use the system, travelers need to have a biometric passport, otherwise known as an electronic or e-passport, which Americans have had since 2007 (the symbol with two rectangles and a circle in the middle on the cover of your passport indicates it is a biometric passport).
Visitors to the EU without biometric passports will be required to undergo additional processing at the border and will not be able to use the self-service passport kiosks. Anyone who refuses to provide the data will not be allowed to enter the EU. In addition to recording passport information, the system will log precisely when travelers enter and exit the country and whether or not they’ve ever been refused entry. Children under 12 will not be required to provide fingerprints, but adults will.
Who will have access to travelers’ personal data?
According to an online EU explainer about the new EES system, entities that will have access to your personal data will include European border, visa, and immigration control; Europol for law enforcement purposes; and, “under strict conditions, your data may be transferred to another country (inside or outside the EU) or international organization.”
Time will tell whether the new system will deliver on its promises of more reliable and faster border crossings. Either way, for those who treasure stamps as souvenirs of destinations once visited, the change may be hard to stomach. However, it’ll also mean that travelers who frequently visit the EU, be it for work or pleasure, may not need to get a new passport as often—as they won’t risk filling up their booklet as quickly.
Is this the same as the new ETIAS travel authorization process for entry into Europe?
The new EES system is related to but separate from the also-delayed ETIAS travel authorization program for Europe. The plan is to launch ETIAS six months after EES is up and running, meaning that it is now expected to start in the last quarter of 2026. Once ETIAS is in effect, travelers from outside of the EU will be charged a seven-euro (about $8.25 based on current conversion rates) fee for an entry authorization that will be valid for three years or until the passport associated with it expires.
The United Kingdom, which is no longer part of the EU or the Schengen Area, similarly rolled out its own electronic travel authorization program, known as the ETA (Electronic Travel Authorization), the first phase of which began in 2024, before the program became a requirement for entry in January 2025. The United Kingdom’s ETA requires travelers to apply online before their trip, pay a small fee (£16, equal to about $21.75), and receive approval that will remain valid for multiple short visits over two years or until their passport expires. The U.K. government has described the program as a way to strengthen border security while making entry smoother for frequent travelers.
Though travelers will need to apply for both the ETIAS and the ETA ahead of time, it’s not officially a visa; it’s more similar to the U.S. ESTA or the Canadian eTA, which are systems that determine the eligibility of visitors to travel to the country under a visa waiver program.
This story was originally published in September 2024 and was updated on September 24, 2025, to include current information.
