On Friday, April 10, 2026, as the Ministry of the Interior and Administration announced, the European automated and digital system for managing external borders, the Entry/Exit System (EES), was launched at the Kraków-Balice air border crossing. This was the final stage of its rollout in Poland, which began on October 12, 2025, when it was activated at the Medyka–Shehyni road border crossing and the Przemyśl–Mostyska rail border crossing. At the same time, the system’s implementation was completed across the entire Schengen Area, with the exception of Cyprus and Ireland.
Photo: Ministry Of Interior And Administration
Since the rollout of the EES began on October 12, 2025, the Border Guard has denied entry to Poland to 6,500 non-EU foreign nationals and has created more than 2 million biometric profiles of foreign nationals, including their fingerprints and facial images. The system, which digitally registers only third-country nationals traveling to the Schengen Area, is now operating at all 71 road, rail, air, and sea border crossing points in Poland.
Minister of the Interior and Administration Marcin Kierwiński, together with Deputy Ministers Czesław Mroczek and Tomasz Szymański, confirmed at Warsaw Chopin Airport that the new form of border control had reached full operational readiness.
“Tightening the external borders is a priority for Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s government. We have expanded the infrastructure on the Polish-Belarusian border and launched modern monitoring and drone detection systems. Today, thanks to the Entry/Exit System, we are creating borders that are tight and impenetrable to people who have no right to enter or who may pose a threat. This is a giant step toward the security of our borders. It is the result of tremendous work by the Border Guard and the Department of Information Technology at the Ministry of the Interior and Administration,” said Interior and Administration Minister Marcin Kierwiński during a press conference at Warsaw Chopin Airport.
The system applies exclusively to foreign nationals from outside the European Union. The EES identifies not only those who attempt to enter in violation of the rules, but also those who abuse the hospitality of Poland and other European Union countries. The system will issue an alert for any person who exceeds the legally permitted 90-day stay within the EU during a total 180-day period.
Modern technologies are the future of secure borders
Thanks to the EES, the Border Guard has prevented 6,500 foreign nationals from entering Poland. Most of them had previously exceeded the EU’s 90-day stay limit and were therefore not allowed to re-enter the European Union. A significant number of foreign nationals lacked documentation justifying the purpose and conditions of their stay, sufficient means of subsistence, a valid visa, or a valid residence or travel document. Among those denied entry were individuals considered a threat to public order or internal security, people who had previously been refused entry to the EU, and those carrying forged residence or travel documents.
Data from the period between October 2025 and April 2026 confirm the effectiveness of the implemented solution. Since the rollout of the system began, 5.6 million entry or exit records have already been registered at Poland’s borders – an average of 31,000 operations per day.
“The system covering all 71 border crossing points is now operational, and the Border Guard’s database has been expanded with more than 2 million biometric profiles. We have full control over who is entering the European Union. This is a real fight for security, in which Poland is playing a key role. But we are going one step further. The next stage will be the implementation of additional systems that will make it possible to check data in real time across the entire Schengen Area. We will know everything about people trying to enter Europe from outside. Modern technologies are the future of secure borders,” Deputy Minister Tomasz Szymański said.
At Chopin Airport alone, 210,000 non-Schengen foreign nationals were registered and more than 350 entry refusals were issued. Thanks to the system, officers detained, among others, a Georgian national wanted under a European Arrest Warrant who had been using false personal data. Another case involved the detention of a Moldovan man who tried to enter Poland under a different surname in order to circumvent a Schengen entry ban issued by the Dutch authorities. Border Guard officers uncovered the deception thanks to the Entry/Exit System.
No more passport stamps – it’s time for biometrics
The implementation of the Entry/Exit System marks a revolution in border traffic control. Traditional manual checks of passport stamps are being replaced by an automatic stay calculator and advanced biometric verification, including fingerprints and facial images. In real time, the system detects people who have exceeded the permitted length of stay (90 days) or who are attempting to enter the Schengen Area under an altered identity.
“The new Entry/Exit control system is a solution that significantly speeds up border checks and enhances our security. The European Commission had called on member states to accelerate their work, pointing to Poland as a country that was efficiently fulfilling its obligations. Today, I am pleased to announce that Poland is among the countries that have fully implemented this system,” Deputy Minister Czesław Mroczek said.
From years of delays to a leadership position
As recently as three years ago, Poland was identified as a country with serious delays in implementing new security and border control systems, which threatened the rollout of the entire EU project. Brussels adopted the EU directive requiring implementation of the Entry/Exit System in 2017.
“We have made up for years of neglect and delay. Previously, Poland was marked with a red symbol as a country posing a real threat to the project for the entire European Union. We completed the most important work over the last two years. We introduced legislation, implemented IT solutions, and trained officers. From a country that created problems under the previous government, we have become a model to follow. We are a leader in this project, having been the first to introduce it at road and rail border crossings,” Minister Marcin Kierwiński stressed.