Kenyans travelling to Europe will be subjected to a new data collection system at European border points starting October 12 2025.
Known as the Entry/Exit System (EES), the digital system is meant to gradually replace manual passport stamping with biometric registration.
The ESS will be introduced at all external border crossing points in 29 European countries, including nations in the Schengen Area, marking a shift from the paper-based travel records to more advanced digital files which contain detailed personal and biometric data.
Effectively, the system will affect all non-EU nationals, including Kenyan passport holders who travel to the Schengen Area for short stays of up to 80 days within a 180-day period.
The new data collection system will affect all travellers regardless of their purpose for travel, whether it is for tourism, business or visiting family.
According to the European Union official website, the EES is expected to be fully rolled out by April 10 2026. This means that by this date, all non-EU travellers entering or leaving the Schengen zone will have their data digitally captured.
Information collected will include personal details from one's passport, the date and place where you one crossed the border and biometric data such as fingerprints and facial features.
In the event one is travelling without a visa, the facial image and four fingerprints will be taken, and if one is travelling on a Schengen visa, only the facial image will be collected since fingerprints will already have been recorded during the visa application.
More importantly, the new system will record whether a traveller is allowed or refused entry, helping the EU track overstays and strengthen border management.
"Your travel document data and other personal data will be collected, including your entry and exit dates, and will be registered electronically in the system. This procedure will facilitate your border crossing," a statement from the EU said.
"If you overstay the period allowed in the European countries using the EES, the system will identify you and record this information."
Passport control officers are set to handle most of the data collection at the border. In some locations, self-service kiosks or mobile apps will be made available to help travellers register their data more swiftly.
Travellers, including Kenyans, are encouraged to check with their airlines or embassies before they travel to find out the procedures which will be put in place at their specific points of entry.
