Passport Stamps Are Going Digital: Digital Borders 2026
The EU's Entry/Exit System now registers non-EU travellers digitally, ETIAS is on its way for visa-exempt travellers, and the UK records immigration status as an eVisa. This guide sets out what the EU's Travel to Europe site and GOV.UK say.
Last verified October 9, 2026. Visa rules change often, so confirm current requirements at EU Travel to Europe, Entry/Exit System before applying. Your specific case may have factors not covered here.
1. The EU Entry/Exit System (EES)
The Entry/Exit System is an automated IT system that registers non-EU nationals on a short stay each time they cross the external borders of 29 European countries. The EU says it was deployed gradually over about six months and has been fully operational at all external border crossing points since 10 April 2026. The 29 countries are not all EU member states: they include Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland, and Cyprus and Ireland do not use the system.
Biometric Registration
The first time you cross after the system started, border officers take a photo of your face and/or scan your fingerprints. Currently, the fingerprints of children under 12 are not scanned. If you refuse to provide your biometric data, the EU says you will be denied entry.
Fewer Passport Stamps
The system records the personal data in your travel document, the date and place of each entry and exit, and any refusal of entry. Your passport, biometric or not, is not stamped. In Cyprus and Ireland, passports are still stamped manually.
What EES Means for You: It Depends on Whether You Need a Visa
The EES applies to non-EU nationals on a short stay of up to 90 days in any 180-day period, whether or not they need a Schengen visa. What is stored differs.
If You Do Not Need a Visa
For example nationals of the US, Canada, the UK or Japan
- + Four of your fingerprints and your facial image are stored
- + The 90 days in any 180 are calculated as a single period for all the countries using the system
- + The EU offers a "Check how long you can stay" tool
- + ETIAS will be required once it starts. It is not in operation yet
If You Need a Schengen Visa
You still apply for the visa
- + Only your facial image is stored, because your fingerprints were registered when you applied for the visa
- + Before boarding, carriers must check that you hold the visa and have not used up the entries it allows
- = You still apply for the visa: your fingerprints are registered then, and the EES adds your facial image at the border
- → ETIAS is for visa-exempt travellers, so it does not apply to you
Key Takeaway for Visa Holders
If you already need a Schengen visa, you still apply for it: the EU says your fingerprints are registered when you apply. The EES then registers your facial image at the border and gives carriers a way to check your visa before you board. The carriers can see whether you have used the entries your visa allows, and the EU says they cannot access any further personal data.
The EU says the data is kept for set periods: records of entries, exits and refusals of entry for 3 years from the date they were created, and individual files for 3 years and 1 day from your last exit or refusal of entry. If no exit has been recorded, the period is 5 years from the expiry of your authorised stay. Some travellers are not registered, among them holders of residence permits and long-stay visas and people travelling for study, research, training or similar purposes. The EU site lists who is exempt.
2. ETIAS
ETIAS is the travel authorisation for visa-exempt travellers to 30 European countries. The EU says it is currently not in operation and no applications are collected, and that it will announce the start date several months before launch. The EU's ETIAS pages give the application fee as EUR 20, and applicants under 18 or over 70 are exempt from the payment. An authorisation is valid for three years or until the passport expires, whichever comes first. The EU says that once ETIAS goes live, airlines, cruise lines and other carriers will check that passengers hold a valid authorisation before boarding. An EU news item has said ETIAS would apply from the last quarter of 2026, but the EU's current questions and answers say it is not in operation and give no date, so treat any start date as unconfirmed.
The EU says its official website is the only EU site that takes ETIAS applications directly (it also offers an official mobile app), and that other websites that apply on your behalf may charge additional fees. Nationals of countries that need a Schengen visa are, with some exceptions, not covered.
3. The UK eVisa and the UK ETA
GOV.UK says an eVisa is a digital record of your identity and immigration status and the conditions of your status, and that eVisas have replaced physical immigration documents. If you have a biometric residence card you may still be able to use it in some situations, and if you have a visa vignette (sticker) it remains valid until it expires. A UKVI account is free, and you can travel with your eVisa once you have added your passport or travel document details.
An eVisa is different from an electronic travel authorisation (ETA). GOV.UK says an ETA lets you travel to the UK, Jersey, Guernsey or the Isle of Man for up to 6 months, costs £20 and does not guarantee entry. You usually need an ETA rather than a visa if you are from Europe, the USA, Australia, Canada or certain other countries, and each traveller, including babies, needs one.
Check Your Details Before You Travel
GOV.UK tells you to check that your UKVI account and eVisa details are correct before you travel to or from the UK. Your carrier may not let you travel if your details are wrong, and you may be delayed at the UK border. The account must hold your current passport or travel document, and the details must exactly match the passenger information you give to your carrier.
Stay Prepared: Your 2026 Digital Checklist
For Everyone
- Keep your passport details consistent: if you have renewed your passport, update it in every account that holds it, and make sure the details you give an airline match your passport exactly.
If You Hold a UK Visa or Settled Status
- Update your UKVI account: it must hold your current passport or travel document. GOV.UK says that while you are outside the UK, holders of a biometric passport can update the passport number, expiry date, name and nationality in the account themselves, while others can update only the passport number and expiry date, and other changes go through UKVI.
- Know your share code: a share code for travel is valid for 90 days, according to GOV.UK.
If You Do Not Need a Visa for Europe
- Watch for the ETIAS start date: it is not in operation and the EU says it will announce the date several months ahead. Cost: EUR 20, with applicants under 18 or over 70 exempt from the payment.
- Track your 90/180-day limit: the EES calculates it across all the countries using the system, and the EU's "Check how long you can stay" tool shows what is left. The EU notes that it does not reflect time spent in the Schengen area that began before 10 April 2026.
If You Need a Schengen Visa
- Your Schengen visa is still required: the EES is a border system, and the EU says your fingerprints are registered when you apply for the visa.
- Carriers check your visa before boarding: they verify that you hold a visa and that its entries are not used up, so check that the visa details match your passport.
- ETIAS does not apply to you: it is for visa-exempt travellers.
Next Steps
If you need a visa, check what your application needs before you submit it. TravelReady's Smart Visa Checklist gives you a starting list from your trip details. Confirm it against the official instructions before you apply.
Digital Borders 2026: Frequently Asked Questions
Does the EES apply to EU citizens?
No. The EES applies to non-EU nationals on a short stay. The EU site lists who is not registered, including nationals of the European countries that use the system and of Cyprus and Ireland, non-EU nationals who hold residence permits or long-stay visas, and people travelling for study, research, training, volunteering and some other purposes.
How do I check that my UKVI account is correct?
Sign in to your UKVI account and check that it holds your current passport or travel document and that your details exactly match the passenger information you give your carrier. GOV.UK says that while you are outside the UK, holders of a biometric passport can update the passport number, expiry date, name and nationality in the account themselves, while others can update only the passport number and expiry date, and other changes go through UKVI.
I already need a Schengen visa. How does the EES affect me?
You still apply for the visa, and the EU says your fingerprints are registered when you do. At the border your facial image is registered, because your fingerprints were already stored when you applied for the visa, and before you board, the carrier checks your visa and the entries you have left. ETIAS does not apply to you, it is for visa-exempt travellers.
What does ETIAS cost, and when does it start?
The EU gives the ETIAS application fee as EUR 20, with applicants under 18 or over 70 exempt from the payment. ETIAS is currently not in operation and no applications are collected. The EU says it will announce the start date several months before launch, so no date can be confirmed yet. Applying directly through the official website costs EUR 20, and the EU says other websites that apply on your behalf may charge more. An EU news item has said ETIAS would apply from the last quarter of 2026, but the questions and answers say it is not in operation, so check the official site before you rely on any date.
Sources: checked on 2026-10-09 against the EU's Travel to Europe site: the Entry/Exit System (including its questions and answers and the data it holds), ETIAS and its questions and answers and its news item for travel agents; and against GOV.UK: eVisa, travelling with an eVisa and the electronic travel authorisation. Rules and start dates change, so check the live pages before you travel.
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