In Europe, 29 countries would soon replace passport stamps with a new Entry/Exist System (EES).
The policy that had been delayed for years, according to a travel and leisure online news platform, would now go into effect starting October 12. It would be introduced gradually, with the full implementation expected to be complete by April 10, 2026.

Countries where the EES would be implemented on a gradual basis include Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, and Netherlands. Others are Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.

The electronic authorisation is an “automated IT system for registering non-EU nationals travelling for a short stay, each time they cross the external borders of any of the following European countries using the system,” according to the European Union. The policy, aimed at modernising borders, would collect data listed in travelers’ documents, the date and place of each entry and exit, a facial image, and fingerprints.

Europe isn’t alone in moving toward a digital border. In January, the United Kingdom had implemented its own electronic travel authorisation (ETA) fee, which is now required for most travelers arriving in the country, including from the United States. At the time, the long-anticipated fee was called a step toward “a modern immigration system.”

Even the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has started expanding its facial recognition technology at airports across the country and programs like Clear Plus, which uses fingerprint, eye, or facial scans to speed through security, are gaining in popularity.
Other countries are moving away from stamps as well. Australia, for example, stopped issuing passport stamps as far back as 2012, according to the country’s ABC News. Destinations like Hong Kong, Singapore, and Argentina have similarly eliminated them. Even the U.S. has started to phase out the use of physical stamps, Harvard University noted.

But while travelers may lament the loss of that tangible reminder of a trip, one thing they should never do is put a souvenir stamp in their official passports. That’s because the document warns the holder that “only authorised officials of the United States or of foreign countries may place stamps or make notations or additions.”

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