EES refusals: what eu-LISA’s own reports show

eu-LISA, the EU agency that runs the Entry/Exit System, has now published its own refusal statistics, and they add up to 28,165 refused entries between 12 October 2025 and the end of March 2026. That is the official count for the period, and it covers only the border crossings where EES was already running. The largest single reason was travellers who could not justify the purpose and conditions of their stay.

How many entries has EES refused, according to eu-LISA?

Two reports make up the total. The 2025 annual report records 8,180 refusals from 12 October to 31 December 2025. The first-quarter 2026 report records 19,985for January to March. Add them and you get 28,165, the figure eu-LISA’s Philippe Harant gives for October 2025 to the end of March 2026 in a 13 October 2026 article.

Both reports carry the same kind of warning. Until 9 April 2026 countries could switch EES on gradually, so the Q1 report says it reflects “only the data from the border crossing points where the EES was operational”. The totals are a floor, not a full count of everyone turned away at Europe’s borders.

Why were travellers refused?

eu-LISA sorts refusals by the grounds in the Schengen Borders Code. In the first quarter of 2026 the chart in the Q1 report shows:

• 7,202 refusals (about 36%) because the purpose and conditions of the stay were not justified.
• 4,353 (about 22%) because the person had already stayed three months in a six-month period.

The annual report points the same way for 12 October to 31 December 2025: 2,576 refusals for an unjustified purpose and conditions of stay in its member-state table, and 25.09% (2,052) for staying beyond the limit. In plain terms, most refusals are about whether you can explain the trip and whether you have days left, not about biometrics. The report counts refusals to give biometric data separately, and the numbers there are small (10 and 7 in Q1).

Where do American travellers sit in the figures?

In Q1 the refusals were led by Ukraine (4,771), Albania (2,245) and Moldova (1,706). US citizens appear in the annex with 158 refusals, about 0.8% of the 19,985, and British citizens with 191. Those are counts, not rates: the reports give no numbers of travellers per nationality, so you cannot read them as the odds of being refused.

The Q1 report has one more American line. US citizens recorded the most extensions of stay of any nationality, 6,565 of the quarter’s 11,885. Our piece on extending a Schengen stay covers when that is possible.

Why does this differ from the 44,000 figure?

Our earlier article on the 44,000 refusals reported in July used a Commission figure relayed by the press. That count runs over a longer period, so a higher number is expected. The eu-LISA reports are the primary statistics, they stop at 31 March 2026, and they name their own coverage gaps. Reports for later quarters will show the picture after the 10 April full rollout.

What should you carry?

Be able to show why you are visiting and where you are staying, and keep count of your days under the 90/180 rule. EES now records your entries and exits, as explained on our EES and ETIAS page. ETIAS is a separate system and is not yet in operation; no one can apply for it today.