EES and Business Travel: What Travellers Need to Know 

The EU’s Entry/Exit System (EES) is now fully operational, introducing a new digital border process for eligible non-EU travellers entering and leaving the Schengen Area. 

For business travellers, the most immediate consideration is time. Additional border procedures can mean longer passport-control queues, particularly during busy travel periods. For organisations managing international travel, this makes careful itinerary planning increasingly important. 

Allowing sufficient time for border checks, avoiding overly tight connections and keeping track of Schengen travel days can all help reduce disruption to time-critical journeys. 

What is EES? 

The Entry/Exit System is the European Union’s digital border management system for eligible non-EU nationals travelling to participating European countries for a short stay. 

Fully operational since 10 April 2026, EES replaces traditional passport stamping with electronic registration of a traveller’s entry and exit. 

Depending on the traveller and border crossing, the process may include the registration of: 

• Passport and travel document details 

• Date and location of entry and exit 

• A facial image 

• Fingerprints 

For travellers registering for the first time, the process can involve additional steps. On subsequent journeys, existing information can generally be verified against the traveller’s EES record. 

Why can EES affect journey times? 

The additional registration and verification steps required under EES can add time to passport control. 

The impact varies by airport, time of day and passenger volumes, but during busy travel periods travellers may experience longer queues than usual. 

For business travellers, this can have a knock-on effect across the wider journey. Delays at passport control can affect airport transfers, rail connections, onward flights and scheduled meetings. 

This makes it important to consider border-processing time when planning the full itinerary, rather than focusing only on check-in, security and boarding. 

Allow time on both arrival and departure 

EES records both entry into and exit from the Schengen Area.This means eligible travellers should allow sufficient time for border procedures in both directions. 

When arriving from a non-Schengen destination, additional processing may be required before continuing to baggage reclaim or an onward journey. When leaving the Schengen Area, the traveller’s departure also needs to be registered. 

For time-sensitive journeys, building additional flexibility into the itinerary can reduce the risk of disruption. 

What does EES mean at Schiphol? 

Schiphol has introduced additional infrastructure to support EES, including 161 registration kiosks, additional border-control facilities and Passenger Assistants to help guide travellers through the process. 

Eligible travellers should follow the airport signage for EES registration and non-EU passport control. Depending on the traveller and the facilities available, they may be directed to a registration kiosk or border-control desk. 

During peak travel periods, passport control can still become busier as EES procedures are completed alongside normal border checks. 

Travellers using Schiphol should therefore check the latest airport and airline information before departure and allow sufficient time for border processing. 

How can business travellers prepare? 

Arrive earlier when crossing an external Schengen border 

Allow additional time for passport control, particularly during busy travel periods or when travelling through major international hubs. 

Checking current airport and airline information before departure can also help identify potential congestion or operational changes. 

Protect time-critical connections 

Tight connections leave little room for unexpected delays. 

Where possible, business travellers should consider allowing a larger buffer between flights, transfers or onward rail journeys, particularly when border control is part of the connection. 

For important meetings or other fixed commitments, additional contingency time can help protect the overall journey. 

Use automated facilities where available 

Travellers with biometric passports may be able to use automated or self-service border facilities at participating border points, depending on their nationality, eligibility and the facilities available. 

Procedures differ between airports, so travellers should always follow local signage and instructions from border-control authorities. 

Frequent traveller? Keep the 90/180-day rule in mind 

For frequent business travellers, EES also makes accurate tracking of time spent within the Schengen Area increasingly important. 

For travellers subject to the Schengen short-stay rules, the general limit is 90 days within any rolling 180-day period. 

These days are counted across participating Schengen countries rather than separately for each destination. 

For employees travelling frequently across Europe, multiple short business trips can therefore accumulate more quickly than expected. 

EES does not change the 90/180-day rule. However, because arrivals and departures are digitally recorded, travel history can be monitored more accurately by border authorities. 

Organisations with frequent non-EU business travellers may therefore want to include Schengen travel-day monitoring within their broader travel and compliance processes. 

Planning ahead is key 

EES represents a significant change in the way Europe manages its external borders. Over time, digital registration is intended to make border management more efficient and consistent. 

For business travellers, the priority is straightforward: allow sufficient time for border procedures, avoid unnecessarily tight connections and check the latest requirements before travelling. 

ATPI continues to monitor developments affecting international business travel. When planning time-critical journeys, our teams can help travellers and organisations build appropriate connection times, travel options and contingency into their itineraries. 

For further information on eligibility and border procedures, travellers can consult the official European Union Entry/Exit System guidance.