If you are planning a move to Spain, France, Portugal or anywhere else in Europe, you will have seen the headlines about fingerprints at the border and a new travel fee. Most of what is written about them is aimed at holidaymakers. If you are moving, the question is different: which of these rules apply to me, and at what point do they stop?
This guide goes through it in the order you will meet it: the trips you make before the move, the move itself, and life once you are resident.
Quick answer: EES, the EU’s Entry/Exit System, has been running since 12 October 2025 and is fully in operation. It records when visitors enter and leave the Schengen area and counts the 90 days in any 180 that visitors are allowed. ETIAS is a separate online travel authorisation for visitors, with a €20 fee, which is planned but not yet in operation. Both are for short-stay visitors. Once you hold a residence permit or long-stay visa for an EU country, neither applies to you. They do matter during viewing trips before you move.
This is general guidance to help you plan, not immigration advice. Rules are set by the EU and each country; check official sources before you travel.
What is EES?
The Entry/Exit System is an automated border register. The first time you cross into the Schengen area as a visitor, you give your fingerprints and have a photo taken at a kiosk or with a border officer. Each later entry and exit is then logged against that record. According to GOV.UK, registration is free and your record lasts for three years.
What it replaces is the passport stamp. What it changes is enforcement. The limit for visitors has been the same since Brexit: no more than 90 days in any 180-day period across the whole Schengen area. Previously that was checked by counting stamps. Now it is counted automatically.
The Schengen area is the group of European countries that share a common external border: most EU countries plus Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein. Ireland is not part of it and does not use EES, and British citizens can live in Ireland without a visa. Cyprus is in the EU but outside Schengen.
What is ETIAS?
The European Travel Information and Authorisation System is an online pre-travel authorisation for visitors from visa-exempt countries, including the UK. It is similar in idea to the American ESTA. The fee has been set at €20, and an authorisation is expected to last three years or until your passport expires.
At the time of writing, ETIAS is not yet in operation and you cannot apply for it. Its start has been postponed more than once. The EU has said it will give several months’ notice. Before any trip, check the EU’s official travel site or GOV.UK, and be wary of unofficial websites offering to “apply early” for a fee.
Do EES and ETIAS apply if I am moving to Europe, not visiting?
Not once you hold the right to live there. Both systems are for short-stay visitors. People who hold a residence permit or a long-stay visa issued by a Schengen country are outside EES and will not need ETIAS. You show your permit or visa at the border instead.
The catch is the period before that, and the days in between.
| Stage of your move | Does EES apply? | Will ETIAS apply once it starts? | What to do |
|---|---|---|---|
| Viewing and house-hunting trips | Yes | Yes | Count your days. Every trip uses part of your 90 in 180 |
| Travelling to make the move, on a long-stay visa | No | No | Enter on the visa and have it checked at the border |
| Waiting in-country for your residence card | No, if you entered on the long-stay visa | No | Keep your visa and proof of application with your passport |
| Living there with a residence permit | No | No | Carry your permit when you travel |
| Visiting other Schengen countries as a resident | No | No | Your permit allows short visits; the 90-day visitor limit still applies outside your country of residence |
| British citizens living in the EU under the Withdrawal Agreement | No | No | Carry your residence document |
Why this matters for planning the move itself
EES is about people, not belongings. It does not change how your household goods are cleared through customs. But the two are connected in practice, in three ways.
Viewing trips add up. Three or four trips to find a home and sort out a school can use more of your 90 days than you expect, and the count is now exact. If you then arrive to start your new life as a visitor, rather than on your long-stay visa, those days keep counting.
Enter on the right document. For most EU countries, UK nationals need to apply for a long-stay visa before leaving the UK and then convert it into a residence permit after arrival. Enter on that visa when you make the move. Arriving as a visitor and trying to fix it afterwards can leave you without the status you need.
Your belongings may need you there. Many countries expect you to be in the country, with your visa or permit, when your household goods are cleared through customs, and the duty relief for people moving home depends on proof that you are taking up residence. This is why your move manager will ask about your visa dates before fixing a collection date. If the paperwork and the lorry arrive in the wrong order, your belongings can be held while it is sorted out. Our sets out what to gather and when.
Planning A Move To Europe?
Tell a move manager which country you are moving to and where your visa has got to. They will plan your collection and delivery dates around it and tell you which customs documents to have ready.
A simple way to keep track before you move
- List every trip you have made to the Schengen area in the last 180 days, and every one you plan to make before the move.
- Count the days, including the days you arrive and leave.
- Leave a margin. A delayed flight home should not put you over.
- Apply for your long-stay visa in good time, and travel on it when you move.
- Tell your move manager your visa dates as soon as you have them, so your belongings are timed to arrive after you can receive them.
Our guide to living in Europe after Brexit explains the main residency routes, and the country guides for Spain and France cover the steps for each.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need ETIAS if I live in Spain, France or Portugal?
No. ETIAS is for visitors. If you hold a residence permit or long-stay visa for an EU country, you will not need it when it starts. You show your permit at the border instead.
Do house-hunting trips count towards the 90 days?
Yes. Any time spent in the Schengen area as a visitor counts, whatever the reason, and EES now records it automatically. The limit is 90 days in any rolling 180-day period across all Schengen countries combined.
Will I be fingerprinted every time I travel?
As a visitor, you register fingerprints and a photo once, and later trips are checked against that record, which GOV.UK says is valid for three years. Residents with a permit are not registered in EES.
Does EES apply to Ireland?
No. Ireland is not in the Schengen area and does not operate EES. British citizens can live and work in Ireland without a visa. Our covers what else to consider.
Does EES affect my removal or my belongings?
Not directly. Customs clearance for household goods is a separate process. The link is timing: customs in many countries expects you to hold your visa or permit, and often to be in the country, when your belongings arrive.
What happens if I overstay the 90 days?
An overstay is now recorded automatically and can lead to a fine, removal or a ban on re-entry, depending on the country. If you think your trips are close to the limit, take advice before you travel.
Related Topics
- Can I Live in Europe After Brexit?
- What Documents Do You Need to Move Abroad?
- Moving to Spain from the UK After Brexit
- Country Guides
Plan your move dates around your visa
The border rules are simple once you know which side of the line you are on. The part that needs care is the order of events: visa, travel, then belongings. Your move manager can build your collection and delivery dates around your visa timeline in the first conversation.
Sources: GOV.UK, “EU Entry/Exit System” guidance (last updated 10 April 2026); the European Union’s official EES and ETIAS travel site.
