EU clarifies Entry/Exit System exemptions one day after full roll-out; Italian border posts report smooth start

On 27 July 2026 the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Migration & Home Affairs published a detailed question-and-answer note clarifying which travellers are exempt from registration in the new Schengen Entry/Exit System (EES). The clarification follows the system’s first 100 days of live operation since 10 April, during which over 145 million crossings – including roughly 18 million through Italian airports and seaports – were logged. Under the guidance, holders of EU long-stay visas or residence permits, family members of EU/EEA citizens with residence cards, and nationals of micro-states such as San Marino, Monaco or the Vatican remain outside the biometric capture requirement. Airlines and ferry operators operating from Italy’s major gateways (Fiumicino, Malpensa, Venice, Genoa and the Brenner rail hub) are urged to update check-in scripts immediately so that exempt passengers are not denied boarding. Italian border police (Polizia di Frontiera) report that average per-passenger processing times at Fiumicino fell from 57 seconds in mid-April to 41 seconds last week as travellers adjusted to the four-fingerprint scan and facial image capture. However, business-jet ground handlers at Milan-Linate warn that the lack of dedicated EES kiosks for private flights is causing delays for high-net-worth travellers and engineers shuttling between Italian plants and non-EU headquarters. For mobility managers the update means that posted workers carrying Italian permessi di soggiorno (including EU Blue Cards and ICT permits) should continue to present their residence cards at e-gates to bypass biometric enrolment. Dependants joining assignees under family-unity visas must also carry their residence cards; otherwise they will be queued for biometric capture, potentially missing tight onward connections. Employers may wish to circulate an advisory and re-check Schengen visa expiry dates because the EES automatically calculates over-stay risk and triggers Schengen-wide alerts. The Commission will review system performance in October and may adjust exemption lists. Stakeholders can submit feedback via the EES help desk or through national contact points at Italy’s Interior Ministry.