EES
Published 5 November 2026, 03:36
EES — Entry/Exit System, in Portuguese Sistema de Entrada/Saída (SES): the European entry/exit system
A shared EU database that replaces passport stamps with a digital record of every entry and exit by non-EU nationals coming for a short stay, up to 90 days in any 180-day period. At the border your face is photographed and your fingerprints are taken; the record holds your passport details, the date and place of entry and exit, and any refusal of entry. The system was set up by Regulation (EU) 2017/2226 and operates in 29 countries, including Portugal; Cyprus and Ireland still stamp passports.
Where you come across it. Passport control at the airport for anyone flying in to visit or on holiday without a residence permit; queues in Lisbon and Porto.
The key point for people living in Portugal: the system does not apply to holders of residence permits and long-stay visas. This is stated directly in Article 2(3) of the regulation, which also covers family members of EU citizens with a residence card. Fingerprints and a photo are taken from those entering for a short stay, and anyone who refuses them will not be let in at all. Entry and exit records are kept for three years or, if no exit is recorded, for five years from the day the permitted stay ended; anyone who stays longer than 90 days goes on a list of "overstayers" seen by border guards and visa officers. The EU has been bringing the system in gradually since October 2025: at Portuguese airports, biometrics have been taken from 100% of passengers from outside the EU since 6 September 2026. According to the head of UNEF (in an interview with Lusa on 13 September 2026), passport control in Lisbon now takes 15–30 minutes instead of the previous 5–15, and the pressure is greatest at Faro airport.
Official website: travel-europe.europa.eu/ees