EU border system turns away thousands in early rollout

Thousands of travellers have been refused entry to Europe since the European Union began phasing in its new Entry/Exit System last October, with nearly 700 people identified as security threats, according to CTV.

Brussels said more than 52 million crossings have been registered since the system launched in October 2025. 

Over that period, entry was refused more than 27,000 times, including in nearly 700 cases involving people “identified as posing a security threat to the Union,” CTV reported.

The Entry/Exit System, or EES, became fully operational at all external border crossings in the 29 participating countries on Friday (Apr. 10).

The system replaces passport stamps with digital registration and is intended to make travel to Europe more efficient and secure, according to the European Commission.

“With the EES, we are taking control of who enters and leaves the EU, when and where,” Magnus Brunner, the European Union’s commissioner for internal affairs, said in a statement.

The EES applies across 27 EU countries, excluding Ireland and Cyprus, as well as Norway, Iceland, Switzerland and Liechtenstein, which are not EU members but are part of the Schengen area.

Under the system, non-EU travellers arriving for short stays must provide their passport number, fingerprints and a photo at automated kiosks.

That information is stored in a digital file, allowing authorities to share information more easily and track when travellers enter and exit a country.

“It will enable authorities to identify risks in real time, tackle overstays more effectively,” Henna Virkkunen, the EU’s executive vice-president for security and democracy, said, according to CTV.

The rollout has sparked concern among transport providers and passengers who fear longer queues at airports and train stations.

But the Commission said it remains in close contact with member states as implementation continues, adding that registration takes an average of 70 seconds for non-EU citizens.

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