Most foreign workers who live in Europe with a residence permit or a long-stay visa are not registered in the EU's Entry/Exit System. The EES records short-stay travellers: people who visit visa-free or with a short-stay visa for up to 90 days in any 180-day period. It began on 12 October 2025 and has been fully operational since 10 April 2026 in all EU countries except Cyprus and Ireland, and in Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. Workers are affected when they travel on a short stay, for example for a job interview, a business visit or before their long-stay visa is issued. ETIAS, the planned travel authorisation for visa-exempt travellers, was not operating on 11 November 2026 and had no announced start date. This guide explains who is registered, who is exempt and what workers should carry when they travel.

What the EES is

The Entry/Exit System is an electronic register of non-EU nationals who cross the external Schengen border for a short stay. It records the traveller's passport details, facial image and, for most travellers, fingerprints, together with the date and place of each entry and exit (Council of the EU). It replaces the manual stamping of passports for these travellers and calculates automatically how many days of the 90-day allowance have been used.

The EES is not a visa and not a permit. It does not give any right to enter, stay or work. If you needed a visa before the EES started, you still need one.

Where the EES applies

The EES is used at the external borders of the countries that take part in it: all EU member states except Cyprus and Ireland, and the four non-EU Schengen states, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland (Council of the EU). It is not used for travel between these countries, because there are normally no checks at internal Schengen borders.

Who is registered

The EES registers non-EU nationals entering for a short stay, whether they need a short-stay visa or are visa-exempt. Workers fall into this group when they travel on a short stay, for example:

• travelling to a job interview or a meeting with a future employer;
• making a business trip where business visits are allowed;
• visiting Europe before their long-stay visa is issued;
• entering under a short-stay arrangement for seasonal work, where a country uses one.

Children under 12 are registered but not fingerprinted.

Who is exempt

The Polish data protection authority's page on the EES lists the main groups who are not registered, including holders of residence permits and holders of long-stay visas (Personal Data Protection Office). The main exempt groups relevant to workers are:

• Holders of residence permits issued by a country that uses the EES, such as a single permit, an employee card or an EU Blue Card.
• Holders of long-stay visas, often called type D or national visas, issued by a country that uses the EES.
• Non-EU family members of EU citizens who hold a residence card under EU free movement rules.
• Nationals of Andorra, Monaco and San Marino and holders of Vatican passports.

Holders of residence permits or long-stay visas issued by Cyprus or Ireland are a special case, because those countries do not use the EES. They are generally registered when they enter a country that does.

Scenarios for workers

You hold a residence permit

You are not registered. At the border, show your passport and your residence card. You may not be able to use automated gates, because they are designed for travellers whose data is in the EES. Allow extra time at busy airports.

You hold a long-stay visa

You are not registered while the visa is valid. Show the visa in your passport. If the visa expires before your residence card is issued, check with the authority what document you can use to travel, and avoid trips that depend on an expired visa.

You are travelling for a job interview

You are registered as a short-stay traveller. The days count towards your 90 days in any 180-day period. A short stay does not allow you to start work, even if you are offered a job during the visit. Your employer must follow the permit procedure, and you will usually need to apply for a long-stay visa from your country of residence.

You are waiting for a permit extension

If your residence card has expired and you are waiting for an extension, the rules on travel differ by country. Some countries issue a certificate or stamp confirming that an application is pending, but this may not be enough for re-entry from outside Schengen. Check with the authority before travelling. In Poland, for example, residence applications are filed through the MOS portal (Wielkopolska Voivodeship Office), and the voivodeship office can tell you what document you hold while the case is pending.

You hold a permit from one country and travel to another

A residence permit from one Schengen country generally allows short visits to other Schengen countries, but it does not allow you to work there. The EES does not change this. If you want to work in another country, you need that country's authorisation. See our explainer on work visa, work permit and residence permit.

How registration works at the border

A short-stay traveller who has not been registered before is registered on their first entry after the EES started. Border officers, or self-service kiosks at some crossing points, capture the passport data, a facial image and fingerprints. On later trips, the traveller's identity is checked against the stored record, which is usually quicker. Exempt travellers, such as residence permit holders, continue to show their documents to a border officer.

Registration can take longer at busy times. If you have an onward connection or a work appointment after arriving, allow extra time.

What data is stored

For each registered traveller, the EES stores identity details from the travel document, the facial image and, for most travellers, fingerprints, together with the date and place of each entry and exit and any refusal of entry (Council of the EU). The data is used by border and immigration authorities to calculate permitted stays and to identify overstays.

Your data rights

Registered travellers have rights over their EES data, including the right to access it and to ask for incorrect data to be corrected. Data protection authorities supervise how the data is used. The Polish Personal Data Protection Office explains these rights for people whose data is processed in Poland (Personal Data Protection Office). If you think your EES record is wrong, for example because an exit was not recorded, raise it promptly, because an incorrect overstay record could affect later applications.

Family members visiting a worker

A worker with a residence permit is not registered in the EES, but family members who visit on a short stay are, unless they hold their own residence permit or long-stay visa. Their days count towards the 90/180 limit. If family members plan to join you for a longer period, they will usually need their own long-stay visa or residence permit through family reunification, which has separate rules in each country.

Business trips for workers already in Europe

A worker based in one Schengen country who travels to another for a meeting does not cross an external border, so the EES is not involved. A worker who travels outside Schengen and returns is checked at the external border on re-entry, and if they hold a valid residence permit, they show it rather than being registered.

The 90/180 rule

Short-stay travellers may stay up to 90 days in any 180-day period across the Schengen area. The EES now counts these days automatically. Overstays are recorded and can affect later visa and permit applications. Under the EES Regulation, data on short-stay travellers is generally kept for three years, and for five years where no exit is recorded after the authorised stay ends.

For workers, the practical message is simple: do not use short stays to work or to wait for a permit. If your plans change, apply for the correct long-stay visa or permit before your short stay ends.

Common misunderstandings about the EES

"The EES replaces visas"

It does not. Visa requirements are unchanged. The EES only records border crossings of short-stay travellers.

"Everyone with a non-EU passport is registered"

Not everyone. Residence permit holders, long-stay visa holders and some other groups are exempt, as explained above.

"Registration means I am allowed to stay 90 days"

Registration records your stay. It does not give a right to stay. Your right depends on your visa or visa-free status, and the 90 days are a maximum, not an entitlement.

"The EES checks whether I can work"

The EES is a border record. It does not show whether you have a work permit. Your right to work depends on your permit, which employers and labour inspectors check separately.

"I can ignore an overstay of a few days"

An overstay is recorded automatically. Even a short overstay can be taken into account in later visa or permit applications, so it is better to leave on time or obtain the correct permit before your stay ends.

What ETIAS is

ETIAS, the European Travel Information and Authorisation System, is a planned online travel authorisation for visa-exempt travellers. Once it starts, visa-exempt nationals will need to obtain an authorisation before travelling for a short stay. On 11 November 2026, ETIAS was not operating and no start date had been announced (European Commission).

Who ETIAS will affect

ETIAS is designed for short-stay travellers who do not need a visa. Workers who hold a valid residence permit or long-stay visa are not expected to need it. Workers who travel visa-free for a short stay, such as an interview visit, will need it once it starts.

Beware of fake ETIAS websites

Because ETIAS has not started, no one can issue an ETIAS authorisation today. Websites that sell ETIAS applications now are not official. When ETIAS begins, the official application route will be announced by the European Commission.

Students and trainees moving into work

Students and trainees who hold a residence permit for study are generally exempt from EES registration in the same way as workers. If you move from study to work, the change of permit does not affect EES registration, but make sure your new permit is issued before your study permit expires if you plan to travel outside Schengen. An expired residence card can leave you treated as a short-stay traveller, or unable to re-enter, until the new card is issued. Plan international trips around the dates of your permit change.

A border checklist for workers

• Carry your passport and your residence card or long-stay visa together.
• Check that both are valid for the whole trip, including the return.
• If you are travelling on a short stay, count your days under the 90/180 rule.
• Keep a copy of your employment contract and permit decision when travelling for work.
• If your card is being renewed, ask the authority what you can use to re-enter before booking travel.
• Do not accept advice to enter on a short stay and start work later. See how to spot a fake job offer for Europe.

What employers should know

Employers who invite candidates for interviews should explain that the visit is a short stay and that work cannot start until the permit process is complete. Employers whose staff travel outside Schengen should remind them to carry their residence documents. Seasonal employers should check whether their workers enter on a long-stay visa or a short-stay basis, because it affects EES registration. Our guide to seasonal work permits in Europe covers seasonal routes.

How the EES fits with other 2026 changes

The EES is one of several EU-level changes in 2026. The revised Single Permit Directive also had to be transposed by 21 May 2026 (European Commission). For the wider picture, see our tracker of Europe work permit changes for 2027 and our article on EU single permit rules after May 2026.