If you are planning to meet in Poland, Germany, France, Italy, or another European country, you may notice some changes at the border in 2026. Traditional passport stamps are gradually becoming a thing of the past, replaced by electronic entry and exit records. Later this year, many travelers will also face another new requirement: obtaining electronic travel authorization before their trip.

Two systems are behind these changes: EES (Entry/Exit System) and ETIAS (European Travel Information and Authorisation System). Their similar names make them easy to confuse, but they actually serve very different purposes. It is worth understanding the new rules before you travel, especially if you are an international couple planning to meet in Europe. They may affect both a woman traveling from Ukraine and her partner arriving from the United States, Canada, or another country outside the European Union. The Entry/Exit System (EES) began its gradual rollout in the fall of 2025 and became fully operational at the external borders of participating European countries on April 10, 2026.

The most noticeable change is that traditional entry and exit stamps are being replaced by electronic records. EES stores passport information, the date and place of each border crossing, a facial image, and fingerprints. This allows the system to automatically record when a traveler enters and leaves the Schengen Area and determine whether the permitted length of stay has been exceeded.
The basic rule itself has not changed: for most short visa-free trips, travelers can still stay for up to 90 days within any 180-day period.

There is no need to register for EES in advance. Registration takes place when you cross an external border. For example, if a woman from Ukraine travels by bus to Poland, she will go through the EES process at the Ukrainian-Polish border. If her American partner flies from New York to Paris, he will go through it at the airport in France. The first border crossing may take a little longer because biometric data needs to be registered. On future trips, that information will already be stored in the system. For Ukrainian citizens, EES does not mean the end of visa-free travel. Ukrainians with biometric passports can still make short visits to the Schengen Area without a visa. What has changed is primarily the way their entry and exit are recorded. The rules may be different, however, for Ukrainians who have temporary protection or another legal status in an EU country. In individual cases, it is therefore important to consider not only citizenship but also the documents and status under which a person is traveling.

ETIAS works differently. While travelers encounter EES at the border, ETIAS will need to be obtained before the trip.

There is one important distinction: ETIAS is not a new European visa. It is an electronic travel authorization for citizens of countries whose nationals are allowed to make short visits to participating European countries without a visa. This includes citizens of Ukraine, the United States, and Canada, among many others. Once ETIAS is introduced, there may therefore be situations in which both partners need travel authorization. For example, if a Ukrainian woman and her American partner plan to meet in Italy, neither needs a Schengen visa for a short visit, but both will need to check whether the ETIAS requirement applies to them.

As of September 2026, ETIAS is not yet operational. The European Union plans to launch the system in the last quarter of 2026, but an exact date has not yet been announced. This is particularly important to know because websites offering assistance with ETIAS applications can already be found online. Until the official system launches, there is no need to apply.

Once ETIAS becomes operational, travelers will be able to complete an application online. The authorization will be electronically linked to the traveler's passport, and most applications are expected to be processed relatively quickly. An ETIAS authorization will be valid for up to three years or until the passport expires, whichever comes first. If a traveler gets a new passport, a new ETIAS authorization will also be required. Under the current rules, an application will cost €20, although some categories of travelers will be exempt from the fee. Travelers will not need to apply for a new ETIAS authorization before every trip. As long as the authorization remains valid, it can be used for multiple trips to participating European countries, provided the usual limits on the length of stay are respected.

EES and ETIAS are not the same thing. The confusion is understandable: both systems affect travelers from outside the EU and are being introduced within a relatively short period of time. But they come into play at different stages of a journey.

A simple example makes the difference clearer. An American man is planning to travel to Europe to meet his partner. Once ETIAS is operational, he obtains his electronic travel authorization from home before leaving for Europe. He then books his flight and travels, for example, to Warsaw. When he arrives and goes through border control, his actual entry is recorded by EES. In other words, ETIAS comes before the trip; EES comes into play at the border. Neither system replaces the other entry requirements. Having a valid ETIAS authorization does not automatically guarantee entry, and being registered in EES does not allow a traveler to remain in the Schengen Area beyond the permitted length of stay.

The new rules do not make traveling to Europe dramatically more complicated, but there are now a few additional details worth checking before buying tickets. Both partners should look at the requirements that apply specifically to their citizenship and travel documents: whether they will need ETIAS on the date of the trip, whether their passports will remain valid for the required period, and how many days they have already spent in the Schengen Area during the previous 180 days. If either partner has a residence permit, temporary protection, or another legal status in a European country, the standard procedure may also be different.

Anyone planning a trip toward the end of 2026 should pay particular attention to updates. EES is already operational, while ETIAS is currently in the period between being planned and actually going live, with no exact launch date announced yet. It is a good idea to check the latest requirements before booking and again shortly before traveling.

These changes should not be a reason to postpone a meeting. Essentially, Europe is replacing some of its traditional border procedures with electronic ones: passport stamps are giving way to EES records, while visa-exempt travelers will eventually have an additional step to complete before traveling through ETIAS. For an international couple, these are simply a few more details to take care of when planning a trip. The most important part remains exactly the same — finally getting the chance to meet each other in real life!