European Border Registration System at Schengen external borders

From 12 October 2025, the European Union will introduce a new, unified and security-based border control system for third-country nationals wishing to enter the Schengen area for a short-term stay.  – said Lieutenant Colonel Gergely Czukor at a press conference in Budapest on September 18, 2025.

The Entry/Exit System aims to strengthen the protection of external borders and prevent illegal immigration. The new system will also facilitate the identification of persons who do not comply with residence rules and contribute to the prevention, detection, and investigation of terrorism and other serious crimes.

How the Entry/Exit System will work?

The Entry/Exit System records and stores at the external Schengen borders – in Hungary's case, the Hungarian-Serbian, Hungarian-Ukrainian, and air borders – the biometric data of third-country travellers who are authorized for short-term stays, as well as their:

• data contained in travel documents,
• the place and time of crossing the border,
• photograph and fingerprints,
• and if admission is refused, the fact, place, reason, and time of the decision.

Under the new rules, the police will record this data in an individual file when the border is first crossed, and in the event of further exits or entries, one piece of biometric data (e.g. facial image or fingerprint) will need to be rechecked, which will make border crossings more secure.

The introduction of the system is expected to affect more than ten million passengers annually, so border crossing times may initially be longer than before due to the creation of individual files and the recording of biometric data.

Hungary's readiness to operate the new system

In order to ensure that the introduction of the Entry/Exit System causes as little disruption as possible at our borders, the Hungarian police have further developed the National Border Traffic Control and Registration System necessary for its operation, as well as technical equipment such as document readers, fingerprint readers, facial recognition devices, kiosks, and workstations.

With the help of the new border control system and the upgraded equipment, the Hungarian police can ensure the gradual introduction of the new system, as well as efficient and safe border crossing in accordance with the regulations. During the initial 180-day period starting on 12 October 2025, we will introduce the new rules in several stages, starting with the Hungarian-Ukrainian border, followed by the Hungarian-Serbian border, and finally at air border crossing points.