Belgium’s frontier with the world went fully digital on 2 December 2025 with the phased roll-out of the EU Entry/Exit System (EES). The Brussels Times reports that electronic kiosks at Brussels Airport, Zeebrugge ferry terminal and major land crossings are now registering the fingerprints, facial images and travel data of every non-EU visitor.
Launched EU-wide on 12 October, the EES replaces manual passport stamps with a central database that automatically calculates a traveller’s authorised stay and flags overstays in real time. For companies flying in consultants or short-term assignees, the change means longer queues during the learning phase but—once carriers are integrated—quicker e-gates for repeat travellers.
![Belgian Borders Go Biometric as EU Entry/Exit System Goes Live]()
Belgian police unions, wary of staffing shortages, negotiated a temporary “assistance lane” where ground-handling staff guide passengers through fingerprint scans. Airlines were urged to stagger arrival waves until at least mid-January 2026, when the first software patches are due.
Mobility teams should update assignment letters to include a print-out of the EES record, which Belgian municipalities may request when issuing local residence cards. Failure to register exit data could undermine future Schengen visa applications, so travellers must be reminded to scan out.
Launched EU-wide on 12 October, the EES replaces manual passport stamps with a central database that automatically calculates a traveller’s authorised stay and flags overstays in real time. For companies flying in consultants or short-term assignees, the change means longer queues during the learning phase but—once carriers are integrated—quicker e-gates for repeat travellers.
Belgian police unions, wary of staffing shortages, negotiated a temporary “assistance lane” where ground-handling staff guide passengers through fingerprint scans. Airlines were urged to stagger arrival waves until at least mid-January 2026, when the first software patches are due.
Mobility teams should update assignment letters to include a print-out of the EES record, which Belgian municipalities may request when issuing local residence cards. Failure to register exit data could undermine future Schengen visa applications, so travellers must be reminded to scan out.
