The Rather Confusing & Delayed E.U. Systems

There are so many people that travel to Europe including many of my clients. It’s still certainly one of the primary choices for people to consider for their travel including such popular countries as Italy, France, Spain, Portugal, and Greece to name just a few.

Considering this, I thought it might be prudent to write a brief blog about the upcoming requirements in the European Union that have been threatened for a while but now seem to be coming to fruition over the coming months and well into next Fall, 2026.  

There are 2 different ‘systems’ to explain including both the EES, i.e. Entry/Exit Systems and the ETIAS, i.e. the European Travel Information and Authorization System.

The former is beginning to occur in certain countries now, including Spain and Croatia with more countries to follow in the first half of 2026. The EES is not something that requires any pre-work before departing North America but will be required upon arrival in 29 of the countries with most of them part of the European Union but all reside in the official Schengen Area.

Within the European Union, the 29 countries affected include Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia (joined 2023), Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.  These 4 non-EU countries are also part of the Schengen Area, i.e. Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland.

This new process is designed to speed up entry into the Schengen Area by eliminating the need for passports to get stamped but will require a little extra time for the initial setup when people first get registered.

This registration process will require all travelers to get fingerprinted, and a photograph taken upon arrival at a designated kiosk within the entry point, whether at an airport, seaport or land border. The challenge is that not all countries are ready for this but it’s a work in progress for them all over the coming months.

Here’s a link with further information pertaining to the EES process:  https://travel-europe.europa.eu/en/ees

As for the ETIAS, the latest date for implementation for this one is the Fall of 2026 although this has continuously been pushed back for years.  This is the one where pre-work will be eventually required prior to departing North America. Although they don’t call it a Visa, it essentially is similar to a Visa in that travelers will be required to apply online ahead of time and pay a fee in order to enter the European Union. Considering the consistent delays with this one, I wouldn’t hold my breath expecting it to actually happen in 2026 but who knows! Time will tell…

I hope you’ve found this information helpful and that any future travel to Europe doesn’t cause you too much grief upon arrival.  As mentioned earlier, hopefully it will speed up future trips after this initial registration requirement.

Happy, safe travels and always remember to pack your patience!