EU expands digital border checks
European security authorities sharply increased their use of the Schengen Information System in 2025, carrying out more than 17.7 billion searches, or almost 49 million checks a day on average. The surge shows how digital databases are becoming core infrastructure for border control, migration management and police information exchange across Europe.
The Schengen database becomes the EU’s main security filter
The Schengen Information System, known as SIS, remains Europe’s largest database for security and border-management alerts. According to eu-LISA, the European Union agency operating large-scale information systems in the area of freedom, security and justice, searches in the system rose 18% in 2025 from the previous year.
SIS is used by police, border guards, customs authorities, visa services and judicial bodies. It stores alerts on wanted and missing persons, return decisions, refusals of entry and stay, and stolen or lost objects such as vehicles, identity documents, licence plates and travel papers.
By the end of 2025, the database contained more than 94.6 million alerts, a 2% increase from 2024. The increase is not merely a technical detail. It reflects the growing use of cross-border checks as the EU reshapes its migration and security architecture and moves from manual procedures to automated data processing.
Biometric checks move deeper into border control
The fastest growth came from biometric searches. More than 13.1 million biometric searches were carried out in SIS in 2025, up 88% from 2024. A biometric check means identifying a person not only through a name, document number or date of birth, but also through physical identifiers such as fingerprints and other data designed to reduce identity errors.
For authorities, this matters when a person uses multiple documents, changes the spelling of a name, crosses a border under another identity or appears in several national records. For travellers and migrants, it means border control is becoming less dependent on a visual passport inspection and more dependent on matching data across several systems.
Alerts on persons also continued to rise. By the end of 2025, there were almost 2 million such records, 19% more than in 2024. The largest category was alerts on third-country nationals subject to return decisions. In EU legal language, third-country nationals are people who are not citizens of an EU member state, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland.
SIRENE bureaux record about 1,000 hits a day
The operational value of SIS is measured not only by the number of searches, but also by hits. In 2025, participating states reported nearly 365,000 hits on foreign alerts through the SIRENE bureaux network, or about 1,000 hits a day.
SIRENE is the network of national offices that exchange supplementary information after a match is found in SIS. If, for example, a border guard sees that a person, vehicle or document is linked to an alert issued by another country, the bureaux help verify details and determine the next operational step.
These hits cover a broad range of cases, from wanted suspects and missing persons to migration decisions, judicial cooperation and stolen documents. For the Schengen area, where many countries have no permanent internal border checks, this infrastructure has become a digital substitute for a physical barrier inside Europe.
ETIAS will change travel for visa-free visitors
The increase in SIS activity comes ahead of the launch of the European Travel Information and Authorisation System, or ETIAS. It is not a visa, but a pre-travel authorisation for nationals of countries that can currently enter the Schengen area visa-free for short stays.
The European Commission says ETIAS is not yet operational and applications are not being collected. The system is expected to start in the last quarter of 2026. Once it is launched, travellers from visa-exempt countries will need to submit an online application before travelling, and the authorisation will be checked together with their travel document at the border.
The system will apply to stays of up to 90 days in any 180-day period in 30 European countries. The fee has been set at €20, with exemptions for applicants under 18 and over 70, as well as certain family members of EU citizens and people with free-movement rights.
How traveller data will be checked before departure
After ETIAS goes live, application data will be automatically checked against European and international databases. These include the Schengen Information System, the Entry/Exit System, the Visa Information System, Europol and Interpol records, and other tools used to assess security, irregular migration and public-health risks.
The purpose is to move part of the screening process to the stage before a traveller boards a plane, coach or ferry. Carriers will be expected to verify that passengers have a valid authorisation, while border guards will be able to see the result of the pre-travel check at the external border.
For most applicants, the process is expected to take only a few minutes if the automated check finds no match or problematic data. If a risk signal is detected, the application may be sent for manual review. That makes ETIAS part of a broader EU policy in which visa-free travel remains in place but becomes less anonymous and more dependent on digital risk assessment.
The Entry/Exit System expands the border data trail
Another element of the new architecture is the Entry/Exit System, or EES. It is designed to digitally register the entry, exit and refusal of entry of third-country nationals travelling to the Schengen area for short stays. The system replaces passport stamps with electronic records containing the date and place of border crossing, as well as biographical and biometric data.
The first quarterly EES report covered the period from October 12 to December 31, 2025, when the system was being rolled out progressively. During that period, it recorded 8,180 refusals of entry, 283 revoked authorisations for stay, 479 extended authorisations for stay and 492,345 exemptions from the requirement to provide fingerprints.
Those figures do not yet show the full operational picture because the system was not active at all border crossing points during the reporting period. Automated calculations of overstays also did not yet provide reliable statistics during the gradual roll-out. The system became fully operational across the Schengen area on April 10, 2026.
Why the surge matters for migration policy
The 2025 data show that the EU is building not one isolated database, but an interconnected digital environment for mobility control. SIS is used for alerts and searches, EES records actual border crossings, ETIAS will screen visa-free travellers before departure, and the Visa Information System stores data on Schengen visas.
For migration policy, this means more precise identification of people who overstay, are refused entry, use multiple documents or are subject to return decisions. For law enforcement, it means faster cross-border information exchange. For the travel industry, it means an additional administrative layer, especially for airlines, ferry operators and international coach companies.
The rise in searches also increases the importance of data quality. A misspelled name, outdated record, wrongly entered document number or alert that has not been removed on time can lead to delays, manual checks or denied boarding. The more decisions depend on automated matching, the higher the cost of errors in the database.
Digital borders create a new infrastructure market
The digitalisation of borders is turning migration control into a major infrastructure market. It involves not only public databases, but also data centres, secure communications networks, biometric equipment, carrier software, national-system integration and cybersecurity mechanisms.
For EU governments, this is a long-term investment in the manageability of external borders. For businesses, it creates a new operating environment in which carriers must check passenger status before travel, airports adapt registration procedures and tour operators warn clients about new requirements. For nationals of visa-exempt countries, including the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Ukraine, Georgia, Israel, Japan, South Korea and several Latin American states, travel to Europe is gradually becoming a pre-cleared digital route.
As experts at International Investment report, the main risk in the new model is not pre-travel screening itself, but Europe’s growing dependence on data quality, system resilience and transparent appeal procedures. The EU is gaining a more precise border-control tool, but with it comes a political and legal duty to correct errors quickly, protect personal data and prevent digital filtering from becoming an opaque barrier for legitimate travellers.
FAQ: Schengen Information System, ETIAS and EU digital borders
What is the Schengen Information System?
The Schengen Information System is a large European database used by police, border guards, customs, visa and judicial authorities to exchange alerts. It helps identify wanted people, missing persons, stolen documents, vehicles and migration-related decisions.
Why are 49 million searches a day important?
The figure shows that digital checks have become a daily foundation of European security and border control. The system is not used occasionally; it processes billions of checks a year.
What is ETIAS in simple terms?
ETIAS is an electronic pre-travel authorisation for nationals of visa-exempt countries travelling to Europe. It is not a visa, but once the system starts, eligible travellers will need it for short stays.
When will ETIAS start?
The expected start date is the last quarter of 2026. Applications are not being collected before the system becomes operational, and travellers should be cautious about websites claiming to process them early.
How much will ETIAS cost?
The fee has been set at €20. Applicants under 18 and over 70, as well as certain family members of EU citizens or people with free-movement rights, will be exempt.
What is the Entry/Exit System?
The Entry/Exit System is a digital tool that records entries and exits of third-country nationals travelling to the Schengen area for short stays. It replaces passport stamps with electronic records and helps monitor authorised stays.
Will ETIAS apply to Russian citizens?
ETIAS applies to nationals of countries with visa-free access to the Schengen area. Citizens of countries that need a Schengen visa, including Russia, will not use ETIAS as a substitute for a visa.
Why are biometric checks growing so quickly?
Biometrics reduce identity errors and help detect the use of multiple documents or false identities. That is why they are becoming more embedded in border and law-enforcement procedures.