Poland has switched on the European Union’s new Entry/Exit System (EES) at 38 land, air, rail and sea checkpoints, marking the country’s most significant border-technology upgrade since it joined the Schengen zone in 2007. The biometric platform, which records the movements of every non-EU traveller entering or leaving the bloc, went live nationwide on 21 November after a six-week pilot along the Ukrainian frontier. Warsaw Chopin Airport was connected earlier in the week, and Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński said the remaining 140 Polish crossing points will be online by 4 December.
EES replaces the manual passport-stamping procedure with a fully digital record that captures fingerprints, a facial image, passport data and time-and-place stamps for each crossing. Travellers from visa-waiver countries will no longer receive a Schengen entry stamp; instead, their 90/180-day allowance will be calculated automatically. Border guards receive instant overstay alerts, and the system cross-checks multiple EU security databases in real time.
![Poland Activates EU Entry/Exit System at 38 Border Points, Full Roll-out by 4 December]()
For business travellers and assignees, the change means shorter queues—once travellers have enrolled their biometrics—and fewer disputes about overstays. However, first-time users should expect longer processing as officers capture prints and facial scans. Multinational companies are advising staff to arrive early and to carry proof of residence or work status in case officers need to reconcile the new digital record with legacy documents.
The upgrade also lays the groundwork for the EU’s long-awaited ETIAS travel authorisation, now scheduled for mid-2026, and for forthcoming ‘smart border’ lanes that will allow pre-cleared travellers to enter Poland using an e-gate and a live facial match. Polish authorities say almost 600,000 third-country nationals have already been processed through EES during the phased roll-out, giving officers a detailed real-time picture of border flows.
Kierwiński framed the launch as part of a broader security push after a spate of hybrid attacks blamed on Russia and Belarus. ‘A unified biometric perimeter strengthens both security and the integrity of the Schengen area,’ he said, adding that the data will also help tackle document fraud and migrant-smuggling networks.
EES replaces the manual passport-stamping procedure with a fully digital record that captures fingerprints, a facial image, passport data and time-and-place stamps for each crossing. Travellers from visa-waiver countries will no longer receive a Schengen entry stamp; instead, their 90/180-day allowance will be calculated automatically. Border guards receive instant overstay alerts, and the system cross-checks multiple EU security databases in real time.
For business travellers and assignees, the change means shorter queues—once travellers have enrolled their biometrics—and fewer disputes about overstays. However, first-time users should expect longer processing as officers capture prints and facial scans. Multinational companies are advising staff to arrive early and to carry proof of residence or work status in case officers need to reconcile the new digital record with legacy documents.
The upgrade also lays the groundwork for the EU’s long-awaited ETIAS travel authorisation, now scheduled for mid-2026, and for forthcoming ‘smart border’ lanes that will allow pre-cleared travellers to enter Poland using an e-gate and a live facial match. Polish authorities say almost 600,000 third-country nationals have already been processed through EES during the phased roll-out, giving officers a detailed real-time picture of border flows.
Kierwiński framed the launch as part of a broader security push after a spate of hybrid attacks blamed on Russia and Belarus. ‘A unified biometric perimeter strengthens both security and the integrity of the Schengen area,’ he said, adding that the data will also help tackle document fraud and migrant-smuggling networks.
