Improved and more efficient border controls with new EU entry/exit system

The EU’s new entry and exit system will require third-country nationals who either cross the external borders for a short stay, or who are refused entry, to be registered electronically, including by providing biometric data in the form of finger prints and photographs.

The purpose of the new system is, among other things, to improve and streamline border checks at the external borders and simplify the EU’s identification of inbound and outbound travellers. The system is also a tool for law enforcement authorities’ efforts to strengthen domestic security and combat terrorism and other serious crime.

“Addressing current security challenges requires modern and effective border controls. With the new Entry/Exit System, law enforcement authorities will be better equipped to identify people who may pose a threat to the security of Sweden and the EU,” says Minister for Justice Gunnar Strömmer.

“Swedish authorities will now have additional tools to improve border controls and prevent irregular immigration. The new EU system strengthens control over who is in the country, which also helps to counteract the ‘shadow society’,” says Minister for Migration Johan Forssell.

In 2022, the Riksdag adopted the legislative amendments required to adapt Swedish law to the EES. The legislative changes mean, among other things, that aliens must provide fingerprints and allow themselves to be photographed in order to carry out a check against the EES.

The Government has now decided that the legislative amendments will come into force on 12 October 2025, the same day that the EES starts to operate. The Government has also decided on certain amendments to the Ordinance that supplements the legislative amendments. These include designating which government agencies should be authorised to request searches in the EES for law enforcement purposes.