Last month, European countries began rolling out the new Entry/Exit System (EES) for travellers crossing European borders. It’s expected to be fully operational by April 10, 2026. Here’s what to know.

Who uses the EES?

The EES is for non-EU nationals ( including Canadians ) who are travelling for a short stay to one or more countries in the Schengen area for up to 90 days in any 180-day period.

What’s the Schengen area?

It’s a fancy term for the nations of the European Union, minus Ireland and Cyprus, but including Norway, Switzerland, Lichtenstein and Iceland.

Note that this doesn’t include the U.K., which has its own system, called Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA), in place since January. That has a cost of 10 pounds, or about $18.

What does the system do?

The EES replaces

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