Travel Notice: EU to Launch New Entry/Exit System on 12 Oct. 2025

With the EU's Transatlantic 'industry partners' holding US gov't/intel community contracts, the question isn't 'will this be bad' but 'how big is that shitshow gonna be?'

Time for some practical information for all non-EU/Schengen residents with travel plans for business of pleasure to Ye Olde World. As per the EU Commission’s press release from 30 July 2025 (emphases in the original in Italics; all bold passages are my emphases):

Commission sets the launch date for the Entry/Exit System to 12 October 2025

The Commission has set 12 October 2025 as the launch date for the progressive start of operations of the EU's Entry/Exit System (EES).

The EES is an advanced technological system that will digitally record the entries and exits of non-EU nationals travelling to 29 European countries, including Schengen Associated ones, for short stays. It will capture biometric data, such as fingerprints, facial image, and other travel information, gradually replacing the current system of passport stamping.

Dear ‘non-EU nationals’, don’t worry about ‘unfair’ treatment: if y’all accede to this nonsense (which I anticipate you will), then this EES system will be rolled out to everybody else. It’s just like the Covid Passport shitshow all over again, in case you’re wondering what I think about it.

The EES will modernise and improve the management of EU external borders. It will provide reliable data on border crossings, systematically detect overstayers as well as cases of document and identity fraud [after 10+ years of literally open borders, the gates are closing]. The EES will thus contribute to preventing irregular migration and protecting the security of European citizens [nowhere it is said that border controls are, you know, kinda one of the markers of sovereignty: during the Pandemic™, different member-states had different mandate régimes, but since these were about punishing people, I suppose that’s a-o.k. with the EU]. Additionally, with the increased use of automated border checks [i.e., immigration officers robots won’t let you pass through the gate], travelling will become smoother and safer for all. The new system meets the highest standards of data and privacy protection [lol, my arse], ensuring that travellers’ personal data remain protected and secure [also, don’t forget that war is peace and that Oceania has always been at war with Eurasia].

From 12 October onwards, Member States will start introducing the EES gradually over a period of six months. Border authorities will progressively register the data of third country nationals crossing the borders [is is ‘the borders’, as in all of them or would that be ‘just’ the borders of the EU/Schengen area vs. the rest of the world (‘the jungle’, as the EU’s foreign commissar Josep Borrell infamously called the latter; among the many absurd pieces, I found this one in Deutsche Welle where Mr. Borrell denied that his comment was ‘racist’ most amusingly stupid)]. At the end of this period, the EES will be fully deployed at all border crossing points.

By 12 April 2026, then, there’s no escaping the EU/Schengen area’s border robots.

As the launch date approaches, travellers can expect information campaigns and awareness-raising activities at border crossing points, including airports across the EU.

That means, of course, that this will be pushed aggressively in terms of agit-prop (celebrities showing how easy™ and comfortable™ this system is), propaganda (legacy media reporting™), and the like, to which we now turn.

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Almost Tripled: Entry Into the EU Will Become More Expensive

The new EU entry system is scheduled to come into force at the end of 2026. As a result, the entry fee will be increased.

By Lara Heisinger, Heute.at, 18 July 2025 [source; archived]

The EU Commission intends to increase the price of entry permits into the EU. Instead of the current seven euros, the price for the planned European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS) will be 20 euros in the future.

That increase from the seven euros estimated in 2018 is due, according to the Commission, to account for increased inflation and additional operating costs [look, we built this shiny new system™, we don’t know it’ll work better or provide improved services, but it’s three times as expensive—but also due to inflation™, which merely means abuse by central banks in cahoots with big business and gov’t]. The digital entry system for people from visa-exempt third countries is expected to come into force at the end of 2026 [this relates to nationals of any of these visa-exempt countries and territories travelling to the EU/Schengen area from late 2026 onwards: your participation is mandatory].

Prices Based on Other Countries

According to the Commission, the increased fee is based on entry systems in other countries: the British ETA costs 16 pounds (approximately 18.50 euros [at current, early-August 2025 exchange rates]), the US ESTA costs 21 dollars (approximately 18 euros).

The introduction of ETIAs was decided in 2018. The entry permit, available online, is valid for the 27 EU countries, excluding Ireland, as well as Norway, Iceland, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein. It is mandatory for non-EU citizens from countries that do not require a visa, including the UK, Canada, and the US. The permit is valid for three years. Persons under 18 and over 70 are exempt from the fee [ah, at least something: I suppose it’ll be quite hard for minors to travel alone…].

Collecting Traveller Information

ETIAs requires that information about travellers, such as their identity, travel documents, and place of residence, be collected before they cross the border. This is intended to identify security risks and unauthorised entries and facilitate the work of border officials [sure, my arse, once more: if I’m travelling/moving legally, it means that I don’t have much to hide in terms of personal data, isn’t it?].

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Some Background on ETIAS

This comes, once more via the top-cited EU Commission’s press release:

The EES is part of the EU’s Smart Borders package, which aims to improve the management of the EU's external borders by using state-of-the-art technology and innovative solutions. The package includes the EES, the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS), and an extended and more harmonised use of the Automated Border Control (ABC) systems utilised by the Member States. Together these systems will facilitate a more efficient, secure, and convenient travel experience for all travelers to and from the EU.

As always, the devil lurks in the details.

When the EU Commission speaks of the Smart Borders ‘package’, what is meant are more than the things spoken about above:

The ETIAS system overhaul and the the Entry/Exit System (EES), which is run by…(drum roll) the ‘European Agency for the operational management of large-scale IT systems in the area of freedom, security and justice (eu-LISA)’.

That agency—which I bet you likely didn’t know existed—is headed by (drum roll) none other than Tillmann Keber, as the eu-LISA website informs us:

Mr. Keber is expected to assume office on 1 October 2025, i.e., about two weeks before the EES is going to be implemented.

eu-LISA had its own newsletters (‘Bis and Bytes’, which apparently ran a handful of issues) and included gems like this one by Krum Garkov, its executive director (from its 3rd issue dated 16 Dec. 2021):

Although I am sure we all miss the good old days, I am certain that we cannot go back to what used to be normal back in 2019. Instead, we must embrace this crisis as an opportunity to bring changes to the passenger journey, making it even more efficient, seamless, and secure.

There were three main aspects that were discussed:

• Lessons learned from Covid-19, i.e., Covid Passports for Everyone!

• Invisible Borders, described as ‘a game-changer’ and elaborated as follows:

  The implementation of interoperability along with the new large-scale IT systems will bring the EU border management to a new qualitative level. This project is a joint effort and should be a political priority in each and every Member State. Nevertheless, the improvement of border management shouldn’t and doesn’t stop here.

• The EU needs to take the lead in the AI domain [sure, lol].

Speaking of how the EU is seeking to accomplish all that, we must also talk about eu-LISA’s business partners (sic).

Most eu-LISA’s Partners™ are US Gov’t Contractors

It’s not that easy to find out who is partnering with the EU to set up these new ‘border management systems’.

I did find an ‘Industry Roundtable’ that took place in Warsaw, Poland, in mid-June 2025 under the auspices of the Polish EU presidency, but the below information derives from eu-LISA’s Facebook site (which kinda gives away the game here):

Look at the second bullet point, ‘industry insights’—with the exception of Sopra Steria, all listed companies have confirmed contracts with the U.S. gov’t: Capgemini, Gartner, NTT DATA, Inc., Deloitte, Palo Alto Networks, SAS, Nutanix, Red Hat, Amazon Web Services, and Fortinet, primarily in IT, cloud computing, cybersecurity, analytics, and/or advisory services.

Some companies—like Amazon Web Services has CIA and National Security Agency (NSA) contracts—while others, such as Palo Alto Networks are similarly significant U.S. gov’t contractors.

Why on God’s green earth would the EU team up with these intelligence community™-linked partners™?

Well, the one reason is—intelligence cooperation, run through the private™ sector in the absence of any formal arrangements (that exist, such as Interpol).

This also, very likely, means that all biometric data thus collected will end up on US gov’t-operated/contractor servers, which means it will be widely shared among US allies™ and partners™, such as Israel.

The one non-USG contractor company, Sopra Steria, isn’t beyond reproach, as this snippet of information from its Wikipedia entry shows:

In the UK, the National Audit Office found that NHS SBS first recognized in January 2014 that patients might have come to harm as a result of what was, at the time, a growing backlog of undelivered paperwork. Although staff raised concerns, the company did not alert the department or NHS England until March 2016. The NAO concluded that the company had been "obstructive and unhelpful" with regard to the subsequent inquiry launched by NHS England.^[39] In 2017, a UK Commons public accounts committee was informed that at least 12,000 missing papers – possibly including patient records and cancer tests – had not been processed by the company.^[40][41][42]

In 2019, several members of the British Parliament, concerned about "grave problems" in Sopra Steria's £91 million contract to manage post-Brexit biometric services for immigrants, wrote to the National Audit Office to request an urgent investigation into the quality of service, responding to allegations that the company was charging "extortionate" rates to the vulnerable.^[43][44][45]

And then there’s this paid advertorial by Sopra Steria’s CEO Mohammed Sijelmassi from January 2024, as available via Euractiv, which outlines the aim:

A European Cybersecurity Ecosystem

Cybersecurity has always been a matter of national security but the recent geopolitical developments have made it clear that it is vital to ensure a degree of independence…

That means—nothing, for that ‘national security’ will be done mainly by USG-affiliated contractors.

Together we need to work on the availability of cybersecurity professionals and training facilities, a more integrated response system, and an ecosystem of European vendors. In this regard, Sopra Steria is encouraged by the European Commission’s commitment to digital skills.

We also need to work together on future challenges, which is to face upgraded state sponsored attacks, post-quantum cryptography and AI.

None of this is easy. But I believe that Europe already has what it needs at its disposal. It just needs to pull its resources together.

And in addition, that ‘national security’ at the EU level will bring about: more centralised command and control, plus intel sharing, whether officially or via USG backdoor access (via its contractors) to EU cybersecurity data.

What a shitshow.

And what kind of next-level gaslighting.

Bottom Lines

And here’s what non-EU nationals will have to do from October 2025 onwards:

If you arrive at a border crossing point for the first time since the EES started

You will have to provide your personal data. Passport control officers will scan your fingerprints or take a photo of your face. This information will be recorded in a digital file.

This process can be quicker if you register some of your data in advance. You can do this by using:

• the dedicated equipment (“self-service system”), if available at your border crossing point; and/or

• a mobile application - if made available by the country of arrival or departure.

In any of the instances above, you will meet a passport control officer.

See what I mean? This is reminiscent of the EU Covid Passports—a ‘self-service system’ (if you have to enter your data, it means you’re a willing participant) and a ‘mobile application’, which is, of course, so much more convenient™ to use.

If you have crossed the borders of the European countries using the EES more than once since the EES started

Your fingerprints or the photo of your face will already be recorded in the EES.

The passport control officers will only verify your fingerprints and photo, which will take less time. In rare cases, it may be necessary to collect and record your data again.

If you hold a biometric passport, you will be able to enter more quickly using the self-service system (if available at that border crossing point).

If you’re now scratching your head as to why there will be these biometric machines collecting your data in the presence of a human border control agent, well, here goes:

Please be aware that all the other conditions for entry or exit remain valid and passport control officers may, at any time, take measures as necessary, such as collecting again the image of your face, etc.

I.e., the robot may let you pass, but officers might detain you on whatever other grounds determined by eu-LISA’s ‘industry partners’s from the Transatlantic spook netherworld.

Or perhaps it’s your own gov’t making up reasons for you to be denied entry.

The proverbial Brave New World is arriving in giant (goose) steps.