In order to strengthen the protection of the EU's external borders and increase the security of the Schengen area, the French authorities will implement a new border management system for Third-Country Nationals from 6 October 2024:

the Entry and Exit System (EES).

What is EES?

EES is a new automated IT system designed to capture the biometric data of non-EU travellers, both short-stay visa holders and visa-free travellers.

It will replace the manual stamping of passports at the EU's external borders. The system will record essential information, including the traveller's name, biometric data (such as fingerprints), and the time and place of entry and exit.

Nationalities NOT affected by the EES

Please note that the citizens from the following countries are EXEMPT:

Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the Vatican.

All other citizens (Third Country Nationals) must register every time they enter and exit European territory.

How will it work?

We have been working closely with the French authorities to plan the installation of new biometric equipment in the lanes and to minimise the impact of these controls on our customers.

• The new border process will be managed directly by the French authorities in the current lanes operated by the PAF (Police aux Frontières).
• The new biometric controls will simply be added to the current border process. We therefore expect that the impact on our customers should be minimal, as Third Country Nationals make up approximately 10% of the drivers who travel on our service.

LeShuttle Freight