It's confirmed: Canadians travelling to the European Union will now face new fingerprinting and biometric requirements.
The EU’s new Entry/Exit System (EES) will phase out passport stamps for non-EU visitors, including Canadians and Americans, and replace them with biometric checks.
When entering any of the 29 Schengen Area countries—such as France, Italy, Spain, Germany, or Greece—travellers will need to provide fingerprints and a digital photo.
Over the next six months, EES will roll out gradually, shifting arrivals from border agent queues to automated control gates.
Authorities are urging travellers to prepare in advance for this major shift, which marks the end of the simple passport-stamp process long familiar to Canadian visitors.
When will Canadians have to get fingerprinted to enter Europe?
The European Union will soon launch its new Entry/Exit System (EES), replacing traditional passport stamps with a digital record and biometric screening for most non-EU travellers.
Starting October 12, 2025, Canadians can expect longer wait times on their first trip to any of the 29 Schengen countries, as they’ll need to complete a digital registration that includes fingerprinting and a facial photo.
While the new system will launch on October 12 at select European airports, ports, and land border crossings, more locations will be added over time until full implementation on April 10, 2026.
During this transition period, passport stamps will still be used as a backup, since travellers may enter through a checkpoint with biometrics in place but exit through one where they are not yet active.
What are the new rules for Canadians traveling to Europe 2025?
The process can be faster if you pre-register some of your information using:
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The self-service system, if available at the border crossing, and/or
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A mobile application provided by the country of arrival or departure.
Even when using these methods, you will still meet with a passport control officer.
If you have crossed European borders under the EES previously, our fingerprints and facial photo will already be on file. Passport officers will simply verify them, which generally takes less time.
In rare cases, they may need to update or recollect your data.
If you have a biometric passport, you may be able to enter more quickly using the self-service system, where available.
Why Is Europe Introducing The EES System?
The official reason is that the EU’s new EES aims to strengthen border security, curb illegal migration, and better track overstays.
By replacing manual stamps with accurate digital records, the system reduces fraud, speeds up checks, and is expected to shorten wait times at the border.
Europe is not the first to adopt biometrics at its borders—countries like the U.S., U.K., Australia, and several in Asia have long collected fingerprints or facial data.
What countries are in the Schengen area?
The Schengen area is composed of 29 countries: 25 EU Member States and 4 non-EU countries (Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and Liechtenstein).
Germany, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland have all acceded to the Schengen Agreement and are thus Schengen states.
For more information about the new Entry/Exit System, click here.
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