The passport stamp is disappearing – and with it a familiar moment at Europe's borders. Instead, cameras and readers will capture faces and fingerprints in future. The Entry/Exit System (EES) promises greater transparency, improved security and more efficient processes. At the same time, it poses a key question for border control points: how can additional checks be integrated without creating new queues?

Step by step from idea to counter

The EES has been live since 12 October 2025 and is being introduced step by step at the external borders and airports of the participating states. Full implementation is expected to be completed by September 2026. The system aims to solve three key challenges of modern border control that Schengen had not yet found an answer to:

1. More travellers, but the same resources

Border posts must remain efficient despite additional checks and recording processes. However, large-scale staff increases are only possible in exceptional cases and are insufficient in practice. Relief is achieved primarily where processes are automated and working steps are sensibly relocated.

2. Greater transparency without new waiting times

The EES digitally documents entries and exits. This makes it easier to identify when permitted lengths of stay are exceeded (‘overstays’). This is an important component of migration management and regulatory compliance. Border control technologies must enable the necessary data protection-compliant recording without creating new waiting times.

3. Better identity verification without queues at the counter

The combination of document verification and biometrics makes identity fraud more difficult and helps security authorities identify risks earlier. In practice, this means that border officials must integrate additional biometric recording procedures into their routines. This includes new workflows, devices and data flows. This increases the risk of queues if processes are not designed smartly.

KATHRINA MEISL, HEAD OF CUSTOMER & STRATEGIC PROJECTS AT SECUNET. PHOTO (C) SECUNET

The EES significantly increases the requirements: cameras must function in changing light conditions, terminals must reliably detect people of different heights, and processes must remain stable even during peak periods – from airports to land borders. The first few weeks of rollout have already shown that such a changeover is best achieved in stages so that technology, space planning and process design work together seamlessly.

Zurich Airport successfully implements EES – with secunet as its technology partner

A glance at Zurich shows how EES can prove itself under real-world conditions: the Zurich cantonal police introduced EES on 17 November 2025 – supported by border control technology from secunet. The focus was on the challenge that currently preoccupies many border control points: meeting EES requirements and cushioning the additional workload in such a way that processes remain stable and travellers are not burdened further. To achieve this balancing act in such a lively environment as Zurich Airport, simply connecting the system is not enough. The focus is on integrating the necessary systems into well-designed end-to-end processes. One step follows the next.

Of particular importance here is ensuring reliable quality in biometrics, which guarantees that facial images are captured in a standardised and repeatable manner, regardless of environmental conditions. In addition, national infrastructures should be standardised and free of media breaks in order to communicate reliably and securely with the central EU system. In practice, this holistic approach also means enabling travellers to enter their data in advance at self-service kiosks in order to relieve the burden on stationary checkpoints.

EU standards make the difference between success and frustration

European standardisation is a key element of the EES. Without common standards, the EES remains a patchwork quilt. With them, it becomes the foundation for future requirements in the European border and identity architecture. The background is pragmatic: border posts need solutions that are standard-compliant, modular and scalable from the outset and can be seamlessly integrated into existing IT and operating environments. European standardisation is therefore the key success factor for the EES. It ensures that national systems are interoperable with the central EES via the National Uniform Interface (NUI) and are operated efficiently under the operational responsibility of eu-LISA. This keeps national border infrastructures secure, interoperable and future-proof.

From planning to implementation: secunet as a partner ‘beyond EES’

For many years, secunet has been supporting border authorities and airport operators throughout Europe in setting up modern border control infrastructures at air, land and sea borders. In order to equip them in such a way that they are not only EES-compliant but also future-proof in the long term, planning and operation must be consistently thought out along a few key levers. This is exactly where secunet comes in as a partner ‘beyond EES’.

A successful EES is not created at a desk, but through the interaction of process, technology and operation along the individual entry and exit steps. Pre-registration, biometric recording, identity verification and official decisions must be carefully orchestrated and translated into a consistent, intuitive process.

• In Zurich, for example, travellers are involved in the process at an early stage via secunet easykiosk: data can be entered in advance, reducing the time spent at the counter and increasing throughput. Quality and speed are important for the subsequent capture of biometric data, as any repetition immediately causes a build-up of queues.
• secunet easytower also ensures this quality and speed with the option of fast, user-guided facial image capture in reliable quality, even under changing environmental conditions.
• Where automated border control makes sense, secunet easygate speeds up processing with robust document and identity verification in a matter of seconds, without compromising on security mechanisms such as modern attack detection for presentation, manipulation or morphing attempts.
• To ensure that these steps do not exist as isolated solutions, secunet bocoa bundles and orchestrates the results of the checks and presents them to border officials in a clear format for quick decision-making.
• In the background, secunet easyserver connects the components to form an integrated infrastructure and enables secure, standard-compliant communication with the respective EES connections.

This results in a modular, EES-ready complete solution from the secunet border gears portfolio, which comes into play at every step of the entry process. It is integrated into existing border control processes, stabilises operations and at the same time meets the requirements for security, data protection, performance and compliance with European standards.

A stress test for optimised processes

The EES makes European border control more modern, transparent and secure. However, the real leverage lies not in the regulations, but in their implementation at the local level. Ultimately, it is not the technology alone that determines the success of the EES, but its integration into functioning processes. Where processes are well thought out, standards are adhered to and users are involved at an early stage, real progress is made for both authorities and travellers. This ensures that border control infrastructures remain not only secure and efficient, but also capable of further development in the long term to meet future challenges.