An advisory circulated on 6 November 2025 reminds UAE citizens and residents that the European Union will activate its long-delayed Entry/Exit System (EES) on 12 October 2025. The digital border platform will replace manual passport stamping with biometric registration (face image and fingerprints) every time a non-EU national enters or leaves the Schengen Area for a short stay.
For UAE passport holders—who currently enjoy visa-free access for up to 90 days in any 180-day period—the change means slightly longer processing times on their first post-launch trip as biometric data are captured. Airlines including Emirates and Air Arabia have already urged passengers to allow additional time at immigration counters and to pre-check that their passports have at least six months’ validity.
![Schengen Entry/Exit System: What UAE Travellers Need to Know Before 12 October 2025 Roll-Out]()
The EES will electronically track days-in-country and automatically flag overstays, a feature that could have compliance implications for frequent business travellers operating multi-market schedules. Mobility managers should adjust travel-calendar tools to pull data directly from EU ETIAS/EES APIs once available, ensuring staff do not inadvertently exceed the 90/180 rule. Companies should also brief travellers on privacy safeguards: data are stored for three years and shared with Europol, visa-issuing authorities and, in limited cases, third-country law-enforcement agencies.
Although no advance registration is required, UAE travellers can expedite future crossings by using automated e-gates after their initial enrolment. The EU plans to follow EES with ETIAS—an online travel-authorisation—by late 2026, bringing Europe’s clearance model closer to the U.S. ESTA system.
In the short term, corporates should budget for potential queuing delays during the first weeks of implementation, especially at high-volume hubs such as Paris CDG, Frankfurt and Madrid-Barajas. Travel insurers report that missed-connection claims typically spike by 8-10 percent whenever new border technologies debut.
For UAE passport holders—who currently enjoy visa-free access for up to 90 days in any 180-day period—the change means slightly longer processing times on their first post-launch trip as biometric data are captured. Airlines including Emirates and Air Arabia have already urged passengers to allow additional time at immigration counters and to pre-check that their passports have at least six months’ validity.
The EES will electronically track days-in-country and automatically flag overstays, a feature that could have compliance implications for frequent business travellers operating multi-market schedules. Mobility managers should adjust travel-calendar tools to pull data directly from EU ETIAS/EES APIs once available, ensuring staff do not inadvertently exceed the 90/180 rule. Companies should also brief travellers on privacy safeguards: data are stored for three years and shared with Europol, visa-issuing authorities and, in limited cases, third-country law-enforcement agencies.
Although no advance registration is required, UAE travellers can expedite future crossings by using automated e-gates after their initial enrolment. The EU plans to follow EES with ETIAS—an online travel-authorisation—by late 2026, bringing Europe’s clearance model closer to the U.S. ESTA system.
In the short term, corporates should budget for potential queuing delays during the first weeks of implementation, especially at high-volume hubs such as Paris CDG, Frankfurt and Madrid-Barajas. Travel insurers report that missed-connection claims typically spike by 8-10 percent whenever new border technologies debut.
