October the 8th, 2025 – Entering the EU for non-resident third country nationals will alter forever this weekend. As of October the 12th, a new Croatia entry system will launch.
As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, entering the European Union will no longer be the same from Sunday, October the 12th, 2025. Instead of having entry/exit stamps put in their passports, citizens of non-EU countries will be greeted by a completely new Entry/Exit System – the much anticipated EES.
so long, passport stamps!
The EES will digitally record the entry and exit of non-EU citizens into 29 European countries, including Schengen area members during short stays, replacing the old (and beloved) passport stamp system. After the first crossing of such persons into the EU, data will be recorded from their travel document, the date and place of each entry and exit, as well as their biometric data such as a facial photograph and fingerprints, which will be collected by officials when the traveller first approaches the border crossing after the EES starts operating. This data will then be stored in a digital file and checked during the individual’s subsequent border crossings.
entry and exit records of all individuals will be held for three years
The entry and exit records will be kept for three years from the date of their creation, while individual files containing personal data will be kept for three years and one day from the date of their last exit. This system will be introduced over a period of six months. Thus, from October the 12th, the EES will be applied at all international border crossings, as well as at those border crossings that are temporarily designated for international traffic based on an agreement between Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, as reported by ABCportal.
After the EES, the ETIAS (European Travel Information and Authorisation System) will be launched at the end of 2026, which will additionally regulate entry into the EU for citizens of visa-free countries. BiH citizens will then have to fill out an online form before travelling to the EU, pay a fee of 20 euros, and receive an approval valid for three years, for as many trips as they like. The goals of the move are security, efficiency, and less abuse of the system. In the first months after the introduction of the EES, crowds are possible at border crossings due to the adjustment of passengers and border services to the new regime.
who doesn’t need an ees?
People with legal residence in an EU country do not require an EES regardless of their nationality, as long as they can prove their residence by presenting their valid residence card of either Croatia or any EU country along with their passport when crossing the border.
This means that you will not have your fingerprints or photograph taken.
who won’t need an etias in late 2026?
The same applies as above. People with legal residence in an EU country will not require an ETIAS regardless of their nationality, as long as they can prove their residence by presenting their valid residence card of either Croatia or any EU country along with their passport when crossing the border.
This means that you will not have your fingerprints or photograph taken.
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