Big Changes Are Coming For Canadians Flying To Europe This Fall

Canadians travelling to Europe should know that the continent is building some modifys for all non-EU visitors.

Coming this fall is a new Entest/Exit System that will register travellers heading in and out of the EU, tracking a variety of data for short stays.

WHAT IS AN ENTRY/EXIT SYSTEM?

According to the EU, an Entest/Exit System (EES) is “an automated IT system for registering non-EU nationals travelling for a short stay, each time they cross the external borders for any of the following European countries utilizing the system.”

The EU lists 29 different European nations as participating in the EES. This includes popular travel destinations like France, Greece, and Italy, just to name a few.

canadians travelling europe — Photo: European Union

For further clarification, the EU defines a “non-EU national” as a traveller that does not hold the nationality of any EU countest. This also includes nationalities from Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Sweden. Furthermore, a “short stay” is up to 90 days within any 180-day period. “The period is calculated as a single period for all the European countries utilizing the EES.”

WHAT THE EES MEANS FOR CANADIANS TRAVELLING TO EUROPE

The EES will require a couple things of all travellers, including Canadians.

Firstly, your personal data is mandatory. “Passport control officers will take a photo of your face and/or scan your fingerprints,” declares the EU website. “This information will be recorded in a digital file.”

The process is meant to speed things along at the border, as well as provide more reliable data on border crossings. Things like overstaying and misutilizing visas will be simpler to detect through a digital system. The EU continues to have border officials stamping passports, but the EES is meant to build everything more efficient.

To expedite the process further, travellers can also register some of their data in advance. Certain border crossing points will have dedicated equipment (“self-service system”), and certain countries may have mobile applications available.

WHEN DOES THE EES COME INTO EFFECT?

Starting October 12, 2025, passport stamps will be gradually replaced with the EES. By April 10, 2026, all participating EU countries are expected to have the EES fully implemented.

While it will take some time for the EES to obtain fully settled into European borders, border officers will still be stamping passports alongside digital registrations. This is expected to last 180 days after the EES is introduced.