In short
- Since 10 April 2026, EES records short-stay visitors' entries and exits with fingerprints and a photo.
- People with a Polish residence card or a national D visa are outside EES; they show their documents as before.
- ETIAS will apply to visa-exempt visitors, but no start date was confirmed in early October 2026.
Crossing into Poland from outside the Schengen area has changed. Passport stamps for short stays have been replaced by a digital record, and a travel authorisation for visa-free visitors is on its way. Here is what applies in October 2026, and what it means if you live in Poland.
What EES is
The Entry/Exit System (EES) is a shared EU database that records when non-EU travellers on short stays enter and leave the Schengen area. It started gradually on 12 October 2025, and Poland had it running at dozens of crossings, including Warsaw Chopin Airport, within weeks. It has been fully operational since 10 April 2026.
At your first crossing, the border guard registers:
- your name and travel document;
- your fingerprints and a facial image;
- the date and place of each entry and exit, and any refusal of entry.
After that, the system recognises you on later trips. It replaces the manual stamping of passports for short stays.
Who it covers, and who doesn't
EES covers non-EU citizens coming for a short stay, with or without a visa. It does not cover:
- people who hold a residence permit issued by a Schengen country, such as a Polish karta pobytu;
- people who hold a national long-stay (D) visa;
- family members of EU citizens who hold a residence card under EU free-movement rules.
If you are in one of these groups, you show your passport and your card or visa at the border, as before.
Is this your situation? Two minutes will tell.
The 90/180 rule, now counted by machine
Visitors on a short stay may spend up to 90 days in any 180-day period in the Schengen area. EES now calculates this automatically from your recorded entries and exits, and records any overstay. An overstay recorded in EES can follow you into later visa and residence applications, so count your days carefully.
If you live in Poland
- With a residence card: carry it with your passport on every trip. Make sure it's valid on the day you return.
- While you wait for a decision: since 27 April 2026, you receive a certificate after filing instead of a passport stamp. It confirms your legal stay in Poland, but it isn't a travel document and doesn't let you move around the Schengen area. Read your rights while you wait before you book anything.
- On a D visa: the visa covers your travel until it expires. Apply for a residence permit in time if you are staying longer.
ETIAS: what we know
The European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) will require visa-exempt visitors, for example from the United States, the United Kingdom or Canada, to get an online authorisation before travelling to 30 European countries, Poland included.
The EU had said ETIAS would start in the last quarter of 2026 and that it would announce the date several months in advance. When we checked in early October 2026, no start date had been published, and reports pointed to 2027. When it starts, a transition period is planned during which travellers can still enter without it.
People who hold a residence permit or a long-stay visa from a Schengen country won't need ETIAS for travel based on those documents. Apply only through the EU's official website: unofficial sites that charge extra already exist.
What we do
If you are planning a move to Poland, the right visa or permit matters more than ever now that every day is recorded. We help you choose and prepare it: see national D visa and temporary residence permits.
Questions
No. Registration happens at the border on your first crossing after the system started. There is no form to fill in beforehand.
The certificate you receive after filing confirms your legal stay in Poland, but it isn't a residence card or a travel document. If you leave the Schengen area, check carefully how you will re-enter before you go.
Only on the EU's official ETIAS website, once the system starts. Unofficial sites that charge extra fees already exist.
Sources
Written by Legacy Advisory team
General information, not advice on your case. Rules change; check the date above.