The rollout of the EU's Entry/Exit System will begin from 12 October 2025.

The electronic Entry/Exit System (EES) will be rolled out progressively from 12 October 2025 and full implementation is expected within six months.  This will require third country nationals, including UK nationals, visiting the EU to create a digital record and provide their biometric data (fingerprints and facial image) at the border when they enter the EU’s Schengen Zone.  Registration will take place at the point of entry into the EU (or at St Pancras Station for Eurostar travellers and Dover and Folkestone for users of the short ferry crossing and Eurotunnel). Registration is free.

Exemption for French residents (source British Embassy Paris)

UK nationals who are valid residents of the EU - who hold a valid EU residency permit including (but not only) the Withdrawal Agreement Residency Permit (WARP) - will be exempt from registration in EES, provided they hold the correct documentation and carry it with them when crossing the border. 

·      In France this includes all forms of Withdrawal Agreement residency permits, including temporary, 5-year, 10-year and permanent residency permits. Any other valid residency permit issued by France or any other EU member state will also allow for exemption.  

·      Children of UK nationals resident in France will not usually have their own residency permit. In order to confirm their exemption from the EES, Minors should be in possession of a Document de circulation pour étranger mineur (DCEM), whether travelling accompanied or alone; DCEMs are free for beneficiaries of the Withdrawal Agreement - see the information provided below for how to apply for a DCEM.

If you have one of these documents, you will not need to register in the EES when travelling.  

Please make sure that you take your WARP with you every time you travel to France from another country, particularly if that country is not a member of Schengen. You may be fined if you enter the Schengen area and you are not able to show your WARP card to the Border official.

What can you do to prepare for EES if you are travelling with children who do not hold their own residency permit? 

·      If you are the parent or carer of a minor, you should apply for Document de circulation pour étranger mineur (DCEM).  

·      Minors need this whether travelling accompanied or alone, to be exempt from EES.  

·      DCEMs are free for beneficiaries of the Withdrawal Agreement. If you have one of these documents, you will not need to register in the EES when travelling.  

·      You should apply for this via the French official website Demander ou renouveler un DCEM (Démarche en ligne) | Service-Public.fr 

Exemption for dual nationals

British citizens who live in France and who also hold nationality of an EU member state are also exempt from registration in EES. To benefit from this exemption you must present your EU passport to the French border official.

Entry/Exit System (EES) - information source European Union website

The Entry/Exit System (EES) will be an automated IT system for registering travellers from third-countries, both short-stay visa holders and visa exempt travellers, each time they cross an EU external border. The system will register the person's name, type of the travel document, biometric data (fingerprints and captured facial images) and the date and place of entry and exit, in full respect of fundamental rights and data protection.

It will also record refusals of entry. 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 over-stayers (travellers who have exceeded the maximum duration of their authorised stay).

EES will contribute to prevent irregular migration and help protect the security of European citizens. The new system will also help bona fide third-country nationals to travel more easily while also identifying more efficiently over-stayers as well as cases of document and identity fraud. In addition to this, the system will enable to make a wider use of automated border control checks and self-service systems, which are quicker and more comfortable for the traveller.

The European Agency for the operational management of large-scale IT systems in the area of freedom, security and justice (eu-LISA) is responsible for developing and managing the system.

A second system, the European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS), is also due to be introduced in 2026. To find out the difference between EES and ETIAS, go the the comparison article on this website. However, the main difference is that the EES applies to all travellers who do not have a right of residency in the EU (EU nationals or holders of a other residency permit) while the ETIAS applies only to nationals of those countries who do not require a visa to enter the Schengen area.

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