Ireland and Non-EU Citizens To Face Biometric Checks at EU borders Under the New Entry/Exit System: Everything You Need to Know

Published on February 26, 2026

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Starting March 2, 2026, the EES will process non-EU nationals, including Irish citizens, at EU borders. Romania, as part of border control modifications, has stated it will implement the biometric system at all border crossings. While Ireland will not implement EES, due to being outside of the Schengen Area, the new biometric systems will affect Irish travelers in the Schengen zone. This article explains the new systems and procedures Irish travelers will face due to the EU Entry/Exit System.

What will be the Process of the EU Entry/Exit System?

The EU Entry/Exit System has been created explicitly to analyze the entries and exits of non-EU nationals, as well as Irish citizens traveling to the Schengen countries. This means all travelers will face the biometric system of EES and will have their fingerprints and facial scans taken. Every traveler will receive a new passport stamp electronically from the EES and will be subject to the 90/180-day rule that applies to all travelers of the Schengen Area.

With the new changes, Irish travelers going to Schengen countries will now have to scan their passports at some machines, answer some questions at the kiosk, and speak to a border officer for further checks. This will improve security for borders while simplifying the process for travelers from outside the EU when traveling to countries in the EU.

Effects of the EES System on Traveling Irish Citizens

The system will not affect Irish travelers traveling to Schengen Area countries until Ireland implements the Entry/Exit System. The fingerprinting process and kiosk will apply to Irish citizens traveling to Schengen Area countries for tourism, business, or other reasons. The same goes for any other person traveling from outside of the Schengen countries. This will be the case each time Irish travelers go to a Schengen country.

Travelers to Spain, Portugal, and other popular destinations in Europe will feel the changes right away. New biometric checks will be operational at Schengen border points, and Irish travelers will have to deal with longer waits at border control. To help with these changes, airline staff at Dublin and Cork airports have been instructed to distribute flyers to passengers.

Implementing the EES (European Entry/Exit System) will take place in phases, but is expected to be at full capacity by April 2026. However, individual EU member states have a 90-day grace period to finalize their systems after the last technical updates, so the EES could go into full effect anywhere from April to the end of September 2026. Popular tourist destinations in the Schengen Area, like Spain and Portugal, have indicated that they may take advantage of the grace period to avoid disruption from high tourist traffic during the summer months.

While the new system is gradually being implemented, Irish travelers are going to see a lot of changes in terms of disruptions depending on when they enter the Schengen countries. For instance, travelers that are arriving on or after April 10 are going to have to deal with more efficient (or faster) biometric checks, while the travelers in the transitional period are going to see delays as countries are finalizing their new procedures.

Travel Activities Before Irish Citizens

Traveling for Irish citizens going to the Schengen area countries is going to take a lot more preparation than it did prior to the new biometric checks. The new EES biometric checks and more compliance questioning are an added step to the whole process. The questions that are added at the kiosk generally focus on the purpose of the visit, how long the visit will be, and whether the traveler is going to stay for more than 90 days within the Schengen area.

Staff from airlines that operate out of Dublin and Cork airports are receiving training to assist passengers with new processes. The crew will also hand out information pamphlets, and to adhere to the new requirements for biometric boarding and passport check scanning, will board passengers in a staggered approach. This will help to ensure that passengers traveling from Ireland experience minimal delays and will assist in the new boarding procedure.