Will the new EU Entry/Exit System apply in Switzerland?

The European Parliament has approved a new Entry/Exit System for non-EU nationals travelling to countries in the European Union. How will the new rules impact travel to and from Switzerland?

EU approves new Entry/Exit System

On July 9, members of the European Parliament approved the bloc’s new Entry/Exit System (EES). 572 MEPs voted in favour of implementing the new system and 42 voted against.

EU countries can now prepare to implement the EES. The bloc is expected to announce a shared launch date, likely to be in October 2025. After the shared launch date, countries will implement the measure over a six-month period.

Three months after the launch date, EU countries will introduce EES checks for non-EU citizens at half of their border crossings. Six months after the launch date, non-EU citizens travelling through any border crossing in the EU will have to register in the EES system.

Will the EES apply to Switzerland?

The EES is designed to make travel quicker and replace the passport stamp system for logging arrivals and departures. The system will apply to non-EU citizens travelling to 25 of the 27 EU countries, excluding Ireland and Cyprus, which will keep the passport stamp system.

As members of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), the new rules will also apply in Switzerland, Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein. Non-EU citizens will have to give their information if they enter these countries.

How does the EU Entry/Exit System work?

Under the EES, on their first visit to any EU or EFTA country, non-EU citizens will be required to log their passport details and biometric data in a dedicated booth before proceeding to passport control. If you don’t give the information, you will be denied entry.

If you are a non-EU citizen, each new EU or EFTA country you enter will store this data in a file for three years. When you return to an EU or EFTA country where you have already added your information to the system, officials will check the details upon entry and exit. Frontex is also set to design an app which allows travellers to add their passport information ahead of time, but fingerprints must always be taken at the border.

Do the EES rules apply if I have a Swiss residence permit?

An important note: not all non-EU nationals will be required to provide their information to the EES. If you are a non-EU national with a residence permit or long-term visa for an EU country, Switzerland or another EFTA country, you won’t have to log your information.

So long as you have your passport and visa documents or residence permit with you when you travel, you won’t need to do anything else.