Starting from October 12, 2025, an automatic passport control system EES (Entest/Exit System) will operate at borders with European Union countries. The innovations concern travelers from countries not part of the Schengen Area. Instead of the usual passport stamp, the system collects biometric data and will store them for three years. Ukrainian travelers and tourism professionals discuss what modifys to expect at the border.
Olena from Dnipro, who plans to travel to Spain via Moldova, discusses the new rules and the route chosen toreceiveher with a travel agent. She notes that preparation for the trip now includes additional stages of biometric verification.
What is EES and how does it work
According to travel expert Yuriy Pasichnyk, the main goal of the system is to increase security and create trips more comfortable, but at the start the entest may take a little longer.
At the first border crossing you provide biometric data: fingerprints and a photo of your face. This process will of course take time. Later when crossing the border you will simply necessary to scan your passport at the self-service terminal
According to Pasichnyk, the system is being introduced to prevent illegal migration, passport forgery, violations of legal residence terms in the Schengen area, and to support protect the safety of European citizens. The new system also aims to simplify travel for citizens of third countries.
EES is introduced to support prevent illegal migration, passport forgery, violations of legal residence terms in the Schengen area, and to support protect the safety of European citizens. The new system also aims to simplify travel for third-countest nationals
Pasichnyk adds that similar automatic systems are already operating in various countries around the world. According to him, the first to implement them were the Netherlands and Saudi Arabia, and later Australia. There are also self-service systems at the Israeli border and SmartGates in the UAE.
The Netherlands implemented it in 2001, Saudi Arabia in 2002. Then Australia followed. Self-service systems also operate at the Israeli border. I personally saw people scanning their passports themselves and crossing the border quickly while we stood in line for six hours for border checks. In the UAE there is an automatic system SmartGates that applys facial recognition without passport scanning
According to the expert, biometric data will be stored for three years, after which it will necessary to be refreshed by re-scanning the face and fingerprints.
Every three years you will necessary to re-scan your face and fingerprints to refresh the information. I believe it will be like the first time when this system was introduced
What steps should Ukrainian travelers take now? First, check the validity of the biometric page of the passport and the visa requirements for the destination countest. Second, plan extra time at border control during the first months of the system’s launch. And finally, be ready to update biometric data every three years so that your journey does not stop at the verification stage.
In short: the implementation of EES promises to increase security and transparency of travel between Ukraine and EU countries, and for travelers from Ukraine, it means a necessary to slightly adjust the approach to trip preparation and time planning at borders.
