New Entry/Exit system kicks off at first Dutch airports on October 20

The first Dutch airports are set to introduce digital passport controls as part of the EU’s new Entry/Exit System (EES) from Monday, October 20. Here’s what non-EU travellers need to know about what’s changing where and when.

First Dutch airports implement EES this autumn

As of October 12, 2025, the Netherlands and other European countries have started implementing the new Entry/Exit System at their borders. The new system is designed to make travel quicker and replace the passport stamp system for logging arrivals and departures. 

The Netherlands has already introduced the new system at maritime ports and is set to implement it at Dutch airports soon as well. According to a press release by the government, the EES will first be used at smaller airports, such as the one in Den Helder, before being launched at bigger airports such as Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam. 

Here are the dates and locations of the EES launch in the Netherlands:

• October 20: Den Helder Airport
• October 27: Groningen Airport Eelde, Rotterdam The Hague Airport
• November 3: Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, Eindhoven Airport, Breda International Airport, Kempen Airport, Maastricht Aachen Airport, Midden-Zeeland Airport and Twente Airport 

EES to be introduced for train passengers arriving in Amsterdam and Rotterdam

Train passengers travelling from the UK to the Netherlands will also be exposed to the new EES. The French border control authority will carry out checks for the Schengen Area at London St Pancras Station from November 10.

This means that anyone travelling to Amsterdam Centraal or Rotterdam Centraal by train will already be checked before arriving in the country. 

What will change with the Entry/Exit System?

With the new system, non-EU travellers arriving in the EU/EFTA for the first time will be required to register certain details upon entry into the Netherlands, including name, date of birth, and passport information. Biometric data such as fingerprints and a photo of your face may also be registered. 

The EES will also keep track of each time a person exits and enters an EU country, calculating their length of stay. This data will be stored for three years so that when you re-enter the Schengen Area, officials can bring up your details and check them upon entry and exit. 

Physical passport stamps will still be used in the Netherlands until they are phased out on April 10, 2026.