EU border control: New EES digital system will track non-EU travellers from October 2025
The European Union (EU) is introducing a major new border control measure, the Entry/Exit System (EES), starting on 12 October 2025.
It is designed to register the entry and exit data of non-EU citizens at the external borders of the bloc's Member States.
Border Police officials have confirmed the EES will apply to citizens from third-countries (non-EU), irrespective of whether they need a visa to enter the Schengen Area. This includes citizens of the Republic of Moldova travelling on their biometric passports.
"Moldovan citizens who also hold EU or Schengen citizenship and travel using that country's document will NOT be subject to the EES," the authorities clarified.
The EES process involves scanning the travel document, collecting biometric data—including a facial image and fingerprints—and creating an individual electronic file within the system.
Children under 12 and individuals for whom fingerprint capture is physically impossible are exempt from fingerprinting.
To avoid potential delays, the Border Police advises Moldovan citizens to familiarise themselves with the new rules via official EU sources. They also recommend checking the validity of passports and other documents, and showing patience and cooperating fully with border officials.
Citizens of Moldova have been able to travel visa-free to the EU since April 2014. In the 11 years since the visa regime was abolished, 2,668,615 Moldovans have made 18,279,446 trips to the Union. Data from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs further shows that the total number of border crossings between the Republic of Moldova and EU states stands at 36,290,266, including 18,279,446 exits and 18,010,820 entries.
The EES is part of the EU's wider efforts to modernise and digitise border control, aiming to register all entry, exit, and refusal of entry data for non-EU citizens across the Schengen Area.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
