Crossing border faster in Moldova: Entry/Exit System (EES) expands in southern region

The Entry/Exit System (EES) today becomes operational at the Giurgiulesti-Galati and Cahul-Oancea border crossing points.

According to the Border Police, the initiative marks a new phase in the modernization of border control and facilitates the movement of people at the external borders of the European Union.

In this phase, the system retrieves data from the travel documents of non-EU citizens entering or leaving the European territory. Presently, the implementation does not include biometric data collection, such as facial images or fingerprints.

The new system aims to gradually eliminate manual passport stamping without altering the existing travel regime. During the transition period, estimated to last about six months, stamping will continue alongside automated registration.

The EES applies to non-EU citizens making short stays in the European Union. Each time the border is crossed, the system will record the place and date of the crossing and automatically calculate the legal duration of the stay.

Authorities announce that, after the initial registration, subsequent checks will be conducted more quickly, which will reduce waiting time at the border and improve the security and efficiency of the control process.

According to decisions adopted at the European level, EES’ implementation will be gradual: initially, the system was introduced at the Costesti-Stanca border crossing; subsequently, within 170 calendar days, the EES will be gradually expanded until it covers the entire border.