Canadians Travelling to Europe Required to Submit Biometric Data Starting This Week

People walk through Pearson International Airport in Toronto on March 10, 2023. The Canadian Press/Nathan Denette

The EU’s new biometric border system has come into full effect, introducing fingerprint and facial recognition checks for non-EU travellers, including Canadians, entering Europe.

The Entry/Exit System (EES), launched through a phased rollout beginning Oct. 12, 2025, was fully implemented April 10 across all EU countries—with the exception of Cyprus and Ireland, as well as Norway, Switzerland, Iceland and Liechtenstein.

The system eliminates manual passport stamping and creates a centralised digital record of traveller movements, according to the European Council. In Cyprus and Ireland, despite being countries of the European Union, passports will still be stamped manually.

The system will apply to all non-EU nationals travelling to Europe on a short stay of up to 90 days within any 180-day period. This period is calculated as a single period for all the European countries using the EES.

On first entry into the Schengen Area via airport, seaport, or land crossing, non-EU travellers are required to provide biometric data, including fingerprints and a facial image, which are used to create a digital record linked to their travel document. This record is then stored in a central system used across participating European countries.

The Schengen Area consists of a group of 29 European countries that have abolished passport and immigration controls at their shared borders, acting like one single country for travel purposes.

On subsequent trips, travellers generally do not need to re-submit their biometric information, as it is verified against the existing record, although additional checks may be carried out if required. In some locations, travellers with biometric passports may also be able to use self-service kiosks or automated border control gates, where available, to speed up processing. In rare cases, it may be necessary to collect and record data again.

Canada also collects biometric information at the border—mainly facial images and sometimes fingerprints—through the Canada Border Services Agency’s Entry/Exit Program. However, unlike the EU’s Entry/Exit System, Canada does not operate a single, fully unified biometric database that automatically records every entry and exit in real time across all borders.

Instead, Canada’s system is more distributed: entry data is collected directly at ports of entry, while exit information is often compiled indirectly through airline passenger data and information-sharing agreements, particularly with the United States. As a result, both systems use biometrics and digital records to track travel compliance, but Canada’s approach relies more on a combination of border collection and external data sources under its Entry/Exit Program.