Starting from 12 October 2025, the European Union will gradually implement a new system for managing external borders – the Entry/Exit System (EES). This system will apply to non-EU citizens, including Albanians, travelling for short stays to the 29 countries of the Schengen Area.
According to the announcement by the EU Delegation in Tirana, the system will automatically record travel data, including:
information from the travel document,
arrival and departure dates,
and biometric data such as fingerprints and facial image.
No additional fees and no preliminary procedures
The EU states that citizens do not need to take any action before traveling and that this process does not have any additional fees.
The implementation of the EES will be carried out gradually over a 6-month period at all external border crossing points of the countries using the system. This means that in the first stages, not every border crossing point will immediately collect all biometric data, and passports will continue to be stamped as before.
Full implementation from April 10, 2026
From April 10, 2026, the system is expected to be fully operational at all external borders of European countries part of the EEA.
The system will include non-EU travelers who:
possess a short-stay visa; or
are exempt from visas, but travel for stays of up to 90 days within a 180-day period.
The purpose of the system is to facilitate border crossing and ensure that travelers respect the permitted periods of stay. In cases where the permitted period is exceeded or entry is refused, this information will also be recorded in the system.
