The European Commission’s Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs released a plain-language guide on 29 January explaining how the new Entry/Exit System (EES) and the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) will work together when they become mandatory across the Schengen Area by 10 April 2026.
Under EES, non-EU passport holders—including business travellers entering Poland via Warsaw-Chopin Airport or the land borders with Ukraine and Belarus—will have their biometric data captured and entry/exit movements recorded automatically, replacing manual passport stamping. ETIAS, by contrast, is a pre-travel authorisation that visa-exempt visitors will need to obtain online for a €7 fee and link to their passport.
For travellers and employers seeking hands-on assistance with these impending changes, VisaHQ’s dedicated Poland page (https://www.visahq.com/poland/) provides clear checklists, real-time updates and expert support for securing ETIAS approvals, Polish work permits and other travel documents—streamlining compliance as EES rolls out.
![EU publishes traveller guide comparing Entry/Exit System and ETIAS ahead of April rollout at Polish borders]()
The guide confirms that Poland will deploy the “Travel to Europe” mobile pre-registration app, allowing frequent visitors to upload fingerprints and facial images up to 72 hours before arrival and thereby cut e-gate processing times. Polish Border Guard trials at Chopin and Kraków airports have shown average clearance times fall from 104 seconds to 38 seconds when travellers pre-enrol.
For employers seconding staff to Poland or operating shuttle rotations across the external EU border, the biggest operational change will be the strict enforcement of the 90/180-day stay rule, as EES will flag overstays automatically. Immigration advisers recommend auditing all non-EU assignees’ travel histories before April and updating HRIS systems to receive EES alerts.
The Commission says it will run an EU-wide information campaign in multiple languages from February and is working with airlines—including LOT—so that carriers can verify ETIAS approvals at check-in using existing Advance Passenger Information (API) channels.
Under EES, non-EU passport holders—including business travellers entering Poland via Warsaw-Chopin Airport or the land borders with Ukraine and Belarus—will have their biometric data captured and entry/exit movements recorded automatically, replacing manual passport stamping. ETIAS, by contrast, is a pre-travel authorisation that visa-exempt visitors will need to obtain online for a €7 fee and link to their passport.
For travellers and employers seeking hands-on assistance with these impending changes, VisaHQ’s dedicated Poland page (https://www.visahq.com/poland/) provides clear checklists, real-time updates and expert support for securing ETIAS approvals, Polish work permits and other travel documents—streamlining compliance as EES rolls out.
The guide confirms that Poland will deploy the “Travel to Europe” mobile pre-registration app, allowing frequent visitors to upload fingerprints and facial images up to 72 hours before arrival and thereby cut e-gate processing times. Polish Border Guard trials at Chopin and Kraków airports have shown average clearance times fall from 104 seconds to 38 seconds when travellers pre-enrol.
For employers seconding staff to Poland or operating shuttle rotations across the external EU border, the biggest operational change will be the strict enforcement of the 90/180-day stay rule, as EES will flag overstays automatically. Immigration advisers recommend auditing all non-EU assignees’ travel histories before April and updating HRIS systems to receive EES alerts.
The Commission says it will run an EU-wide information campaign in multiple languages from February and is working with airlines—including LOT—so that carriers can verify ETIAS approvals at check-in using existing Advance Passenger Information (API) channels.
