The European Union will phase out passport stamps in 29 countries as it rolls out a digital Entry/Exit System (EES) that takes effect Oct. 12, 2025, for arrivals into the bloc and related Schengen border crossings.
Under the EES, non-EU passport holders and people crossing Schengen borders will have biometric data and fingerprints recorded electronically at arrival and departure, replacing the physical stamping of travel documents, the EU said, describing the system as a move to make border checks “more modern and efficient.”
The transition will be completed by April 10, 2026. Countries listed as phasing out passport stamping include Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.
Officials say the EES will speed up routine checks and create a digital record of when travellers enter and leave the Schengen area, which is intended to improve border management and detect overstays. The system will generate an electronic timestamp at entry and exit rather than a physical ink stamp on passports.
Air travel analysts and industry figures have warned that introducing new technology at busy border points can cause delays if problems arise. Oliver Ranson of Airline Revenue Economics told the Independent Travel Podcast that while normal operations generally avoid long queues, “when things do start to go wrong and when new systems like the entry and exit system are introduced, unexpected niggles can make the overall arrivals process very gnarly very quickly.”
Some countries moved away from passport stamping years earlier. Australia ended routine stamping in 2012 with its SmartGate system, Hong Kong stopped in 2013, Singapore in 2019, and Argentina shifted to a digital system in 2022.
Officials and travel advisers have also cautioned tourists against accepting unofficial or novelty stamps in official passports. Popular tourist sites and vendors sometimes offer souvenir stamps as mementos, but some border authorities treat added marks as alterations that could lead to additional scrutiny or even require a traveller to replace a passport if it is deemed damaged or tampered with.
The EU’s EES will apply to third-country nationals who do not require a visa for short stays as well as those who do, and it complements other border security measures such as the forthcoming European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS). National authorities have been preparing procedures, staff training and equipment installations ahead of the October start date.
Travellers due to visit the Schengen area or other participating states after Oct. 12 should expect biometric checks at external borders and should plan for possible changes in arrival processing. The EU says the phased removal of stamps will be completed by April 10, 2026, when the digital system is fully operational across participating countries.