Schengen EES and ETIAS Explained for Indian Travellers

Published 2026-10-24 · 8 min read · By the Travlys visa team

The EU Entry/Exit System has replaced passport stamps at Schengen borders. Here is what it records, what happens at your first entry, how the 90/180 rule is now counted, and why ETIAS does not apply to Indian visa holders.

The EU Entry/Exit System (EES) started on 12 October 2025 and has been fully operational at the external borders of 29 European countries since 10 April 2026. If you travel on an Indian passport with a Schengen visa, your passport is no longer stamped. Your entry and exit are recorded digitally and your face photo is taken. ETIAS does not apply to you, because it is only for visa-exempt nationals, and it has not started yet.

At a glance: EES start: 12 October 2025, phased over six months. Fully live: 10 April 2026. Countries: 29, including all Schengen states. Cyprus still stamps passports, and Ireland is outside Schengen. What it records: passport data, entry and exit dates and places, face image, fingerprints and refusals. Schengen visa holders: face image stored, fingerprints already held in the visa system. Passport stamps: abolished from 10 April 2026. ETIAS: not for Indian visa holders, not yet running, no start date announced. Schengen visa fee: EUR 90 for adults.

What the EES is

The EES is an automated IT system that registers non-EU nationals each time they cross the external border of a participating country for a short stay. A short stay means up to 90 days in any 180-day period, counted as one period across all the countries using the system.

It applies to you whether you need a visa or not. So every Indian tourist, business visitor or family visitor on a Schengen short-stay visa is covered. The 29 countries are Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.

What it records about you

The EES stores the data in your passport, the date and place of each entry and exit, your face image and fingerprints, and any refusal of entry. For Indian travellers there is one important detail. If you hold a Schengen visa, your fingerprints were already taken at your visa appointment and are stored in the Visa Information System. The EES does not store them again. It stores your face image and links to your visa record.

Fingerprints of children under 12 are not scanned. If you refuse to give your face image or fingerprints, you will be refused entry. Records of entries and exits are kept for three years. Your individual file is kept for three years and one day after your last exit. If no exit is recorded, the data is kept for five years from the end of your permitted stay.

Your first entry under the EES

The first time you cross a Schengen border after the EES started, a passport control officer takes your photo and may scan or check your fingerprints. This creates your digital file. Your passport is not stamped.

Some airports have self-service kiosks where you can register parts of your data before you reach the officer. Kiosks need a biometric passport, which has a chip. Non-biometric passports are still accepted, but you will go straight to an officer. On later trips, the officer only verifies your face and fingerprints against your file, which is quicker.

No more stamps: how the 90/180 rule is counted now

Stamps and digital records ran side by side during the six-month rollout. From 10 April 2026, manual stamping was abolished, and the automated calculator and the list of overstayers started working. The system now works out your remaining days for you.

• Use the official Check how long you can stay tool on travel-europe.europa.eu, or ask the officer at the border.
• If you overstay, the system flags you automatically. This can lead to fines, removal or problems with future visas.
• Your visa limits still apply. A single-entry visa allows one entry, and airlines check online whether your entries are used up.
• Cyprus does not use the EES and still stamps passports by hand. Ireland is not part of Schengen or the EES.

The practical change is simple. You can no longer count stamps in your passport to prove your dates. Keep your boarding passes, hotel bills and itinerary as your own record.

What to expect at the queues

First-time registration takes longer than a quick stamp. Major airports reported long delays in the early weeks of the rollout. After April 2026, member states had a temporary option to partially suspend EES registration at congested crossings to get through the summer peak. Reports say that option ended on 6 September 2026, and travel industry groups have asked the European Commission to bring it back. We could not confirm the end date on an official EU page.

For you, this means planning for full registration. Allow extra time at your first Schengen airport, especially if you have a connecting flight.

ETIAS does not apply to Indian visa holders

ETIAS, the European Travel Information and Authorisation System, is an online travel authorisation for visa-exempt nationals, such as US or UK citizens. It will cost EUR 20, last up to three years and cover 30 European countries. It is not a visa, and it does not replace one.

Indians need a Schengen visa, so you do not need ETIAS. Family members who travel on a visa-exempt passport, such as a US or Canadian one, will need it once it starts.

ETIAS is not in operation yet. The official EU site says no applications are being collected and that the start date will be announced several months before launch. An earlier target of the last quarter of 2026 has been dropped from the official site, and recent reports expect a launch in 2027. No date has been confirmed. Any website taking ETIAS applications or fees today is not official.

Other Schengen rules Indians should know

• Visa fee: EUR 90 for adults, EUR 45 for children aged 6 to 11, free under 6. This has applied since June 2024 and is still the fee in the Netherlands' 2026 table for India. The visa application centre charges a separate service fee.
• Cascade rule for Indians: since 18 April 2024, Indians living in India who have obtained and lawfully used two Schengen visas in the previous three years can get a two-year multiple-entry visa. That is normally followed by a five-year visa if your passport has enough validity left. It is not automatic, and the consulate still assesses each application.
• Digital visa: the EU has agreed to move Schengen applications online on a single EU platform with a digital visa. The European Commission expects the platform to start around 2030. Until then, you still apply through the consulate or its visa centre and get a sticker in your passport.
• EU-India mobility talks: the January 2026 EU-India summit agreed a framework on mobility, but it has not changed how you apply for a Schengen visa.

Practical tips for your next trip

• Apply for your Schengen visa as usual. EES does not add a step before you travel.
• Carry the same passport your visa is in, and make sure it is valid for at least three months after you plan to leave.
• Allow extra time at your first entry airport and avoid tight connections.
• Check your remaining days with the official tool before a second trip within 180 days.
• Keep boarding passes and hotel bills as proof of your dates.
• Do not pay any website for ETIAS. It is not running, and Indian visa holders do not need it.

How Travlys helps

Travlys is an Ahmedabad-based visa consultancy. We have filed 5,000+ visas with a 98% approval rate. Our Schengen visa service through the Netherlands starts from ₹2,950 and covers your form, document checklist, appointment booking and file review. If you have used two Schengen visas recently, we will also check whether you may qualify for a longer multiple-entry visa. WhatsApp us on +91 82009 18967.

Last checked: These rules were checked on 24 October 2026 against the sources listed below. EES operations and the ETIAS start date can change, so confirm on travel-europe.europa.eu and the consulate's website before you travel.