Starting October 2025, the EU will roll out a new Entry/Exit System (EES) at all entry points to the EU which will replace the current manual passport stamping when travellers arrive at the airports or land borders of 29 European countries, including Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and Finland.
All arriving passengers will be registered digitally when entering the Schengen Area. The system will collect:
- a facial image
- fingerprints
- passport data, including entry/exit dates and locations
EES registration will only happen when the traveller arrives at the external borders of the Schengen Area. They will not have to pass the EES again when crossing from one country to another country within the Schengen zone. But later, when they leave the Schengen Area, they will have to pass the EES again.
The system is designed to help detect overstays (90 days in any 180-day period), reduce identity fraud, and speed up border control.
ETIAS: Online registration before your trip
Later, possibly sometime in 2026, travellers from visa-exempt countries such as Singapore and Malaysia must apply for an ETIAS authorisation before travelling. ETIAS is not a visa, but a simple online screening form. Travellers must provide:
- personal and passport information
- current occupation
- details on past travel to conflict zones or criminal convictions
No biometric data is collected at this point, but they will be collected at part of the EES when arriving any EU airport or border.
Visa exempt travellers apply once and when approved, their ETIAS is valid for three years or until the passport expires, and can be used for multiple trips.
Travellers that currently do require a visa to enter the Schengen area – e.g. Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, China, Taiwan and the Philippines – must still apply for a Schengen visa through VFS Global or the relevant embassy. This process does not change.
However, once they arrive in Europe, they will be registered in the EES — replacing the manual passport stamp with biometric logging.
What travellers from Singapore and Malaysia should know
Singaporeans and Malaysians can continue to travel visa-free to Europe as they do today. From October 2025, they will be registered in the EES at the border. But sometime during 2026, they will be required to apply online for ETIAS before departure.
What other travellers should know
Travellers who currently require a visa to enter the Schengen area – e.g. passengers from Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, China, Taiwan and the Philippines – must continue to apply for a Schengen visa through VFS Global or the relevant embassy before they can travel. That requirement remains unchanged and they are not affected by the ETIAS requirement for visa free travellers.
From October 2025, when they reach their destination in the EU, they will be registered in the new EES at the border — no more passport stamps, but facial scans and fingerprinting instead.
Source: travel-europe.europa.eu/ees_en
Updated 1 July 2025 clarifying that ETIAS when implemented during 2026 will not replace visa requirements for travellers who today have to obtain a Schengen visa before traveling.
[…] นอกจากระบบ ETIAS สหภาพยุโรปอยู่ระหว่างการจัดทำระบบการเข้าเขตเชงเกนได้แก่ ระบบ Entry/Exit System (EES) โดยการเก็บข้อมูลส่วนบุคคล อาทิ ภาพถ่ายใบหน้า ลายนิ้วมือ เเละจุดเดินทางเข้า – ออก ทดแทนการประทับตราเข้าเมืองที่ชายแดนสำหรับบุคคลที่มิได้เป็นพลเมืองประเทศสมาชิกอียูเข้าเขตเชงเกนเพื่อพำนักระยะสั้น โดยสหภาพยุโรปคาดว่าจะเริ่มทดลองใช้ระบบ EES ในช่วงเดือนตุลาคม 2568 เป็นต้นไป สำหรับระบบ ETIAS จะเริ่มใช้หลังจากระบบ EES เสร็จสมบูรณ์ในระยะต่อไป คาดว่าภายในปลายปี 2569 สำหรับผู้ที่ต้องการเดินทางควรติดต่อสอบถามประเทศสมาชิกอียูที่ประสงค์จะใช้เป็นจุดเดินทางเข้า เพื่อขอรับทราบข้อมูลที่ถูกต้องก่อนเดินทางเสมอ30 มิถุนายน 2568ศูนย์ชัวร์ก่อนแชร์สำนักข่าวไทย อสมทเสาวภาคย์ รัตนพงศ์อ้างอิง https://scandasia.com/europe-rolls-out-new-entry-rules-for-asian-travellers/https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1BXQhtFDYL/ข้อความที่แชร์กันไปยุโรปไม่ต้องทำVisaแล้วจ้า #ใช้ได้3ปี […]
Thanks to all the comments pointing out that Thai citizens still need to obtain a visa. ScandAsia apologises for not properly fact checking the article which was composed with AI assistance. The current version has removed the erroneous information.
Hi Gregers,
It is ‘dynamite news’ that Thai citizens will soon be exempt from visa, but unfortunately the EU Delegation to Thailand does not confirm the story.
Please see the post on their FaceBook page today:
“In order to clarify recent online rumors, the EU Delegation would like to confirm that only nationals of visa-exempt countries/territories need to apply for an ETIAS travel authorization.
Thailand is currently not on the list of visa exempt countries/territories so a Schengen visa is still needed.
For more information about the ETIAS please see https://travel-europe.europa.eu/etias/faqs-etias_en”
Incorrect information as Thailand is not a visa-exempt country for Schengen and still requires visa.
Thai not visa- free travel to the schengen area.
Thailand is currently not a visa-exempt country.
Thais need a visa to enter EU