Soon, most European passport stamps will become relics of the past.
Starting October 12, 2025, 29 countries in the Schengen region of Europe will begin stamping travel documents in stages and instead switch to a new Digital Entry/Exit System (EES). The rollout begins at least one external border intersection per Schengen country and requires full implementation by April 10, 2026.
“There is digital border control on every airport, every port, every road to Europe,” EU Commissioner YLVA Johansson said in a speech on August 16, 2024, “When that happens, I say goodbye to passport stamping and say hello to digital checks.”
This program faces repeated delays. It was originally scheduled to be released in 2022, and on November 10, 2024 it was pushed back along a new automatic entry/exit system that digitally registers non-EU travelers. Under the EES protocol, and after the implementation of the new system, travellers’ faces and fingerprints will be scanned upon entering Europe for the first time. The software then retrieves the traveler’s biometric data. This is used to cross-reference your passport information (including your name, ID number, date of birth, date of issuance and expiration date) and to confirm your arrival and exit. Once that information is collected, a facial scan will only be required for future visits.
Checking travellers’ identity and their entry and exit will digitally remove the need to physically stamp their passports. “EES replaces the current system of time-consuming manual stamping of passports. This is time-consuming, does not provide reliable data on border crossings, and does not allow systematic detection of oversteerers,” the Commission’s Immigration Bureau said in a statement.
Europe is not the only place to abolish passport stamps. Several countries around the world have already moved to digital entry records. Australia stopped stamping most passports in favor of electronic immigration records in 2012, and New Zealand followed suit in 2016. Singapore eliminated passport stamps in 2022 and opted for an electronic visit pass instead. Together, these changes reflect a global shift towards automated border control, with many governments citing speed, accuracy and security as drivers.
Even if there is no stamp, a passport is essential. Travelers must carry them to verify their identity, present it to border agents, and use it as a link to biometric records. In other words, the transition to a digital entry system will change the process, but the requirements for having a valid passport on hand will not change.
Which European countries will no longer stamp their passports?
The new digital EE is being adopted in 29 countries in the Schengen region of Europe. 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 is noteworthy that Cyprus and Ireland are not part of Schengen’s border control and will continue their own entry procedures. Therefore, your passport will still be stamped manually.
How will the new digital entry process in Europe work?
To use the system, travelers must have a biometric passport, also known as an electronic or e-passport, which Americans have had since 2007 (the symbol with two rectangles on the cover of the passport and a circle in the center indicates that it is a biometric passport).
Visitors to the EU without a biometric passport must undergo additional processing at the border and cannot use self-service passport kiosks. Anyone who refuses to provide data will not be allowed to enter the EU. In addition to recording your passport information, the system logs accurately when travelers enter and leave the country. Children under the age of 12 do not need to provide fingerprints, but adults do.
Who has access to traveller personal data?
According to an online EU explanator on the new EES system, entities that have access to personal data include European borders, visas and immigration management. Europol for law enforcement purposes; and “under strict conditions, data may be transferred to other countries (inside and outside the EU) or international organizations.”
Time will tell if the new system will provide the promise of a more reliable and faster border intersection. In any case, for those who value stamps like souvenirs from destinations they once visited, changes can make your stomach difficult. However, this means that travelers who visit the EU frequently may not need to frequently obtain a new passport for work or pleasure.
Is this the same as the new Etias Travel Authorization process for entry into Europe?
The new EES system is associated with, but is separate, the postponed Etias Travel Authorization program for Europe. The plan is to start ETIAS six months after EES is in operation. This means it is expected to start in the last quarter of 2026. Once ETIAS is enabled, travelers from outside the EU will be charged until three years or three years before they become effective, and travelers from outside the EU will be charged for seven years.
The UK, which is no longer part of the EU or Schengen region, similarly rolled out its own e-travel approval programme known as ETA (electronic travel approval), the first phase that began in 2024, before the programme entered the country in January 2024. Visit for two years or until your passport expires. The UK government describes the programme as a way to enhance border security while making frequent travelers more smooth entry.
Travelers must apply for both ETIAS and ETA in advance, but this is not an official visa. This is similar to the US ESTA or Canada ETA, a system that determines the eligibility of visitors to travel to a country under the Visa Waiver Program.
This story was originally published in September 2024 and updated on September 24, 2025, and contains current information.
