EU Schengen report 2026: EES statistics and what they mean

Every spring the European Commission publishes a State of Schengen report assessing how the area’s borders held up over the previous year. The May 2026 edition, published on 18 May, is different from its predecessors. It is the first to contain substantial EES data, because the Entry/Exit System only began its phased rollout in October 2025. The Commission reported over 66 million entries and exits recorded in EES’s first six months, a fall of more than a quarter in illegal border crossings in 2025, and ten Schengen countries still running internal border controls. Here is what the numbers mean in practice.

What is the State of Schengen report?

The report is the centrepiece of the annual “Schengen cycle” launched in 2022. It gives an overview of how the area is functioning, from external borders and internal checks to the use of EU border databases, illegal crossings and returns, and sets out the political and operational priorities that guide the quarterly meetings of Schengen ministers.

The 2026 report draws on 2025 and the first months of 2026, with EES figures running up to 20 April 2026. It covers the period in which EES went from its phased start to full operation on 10 April 2026, while internal checks remained widespread.

66 million EES entries and exits in the first six months

The most striking figure is scale. The Commission’s press release says member states registered over 66 million entries and exits in the first six months of operation; the report itself puts it at more than 60 million up to 20 April. Over 30,000 refusals of entry were recorded, including almost 7,000 travellers denied entry for having overstayed and nearly 800 people considered a threat to internal security.

What this means for you: if you crossed a Schengen external border after 12 October 2025, your passport details and biometric data may well be in EES, although during the phased rollout not every crossing point registered everyone. Since 10 April 2026 the system calculates your remaining 90-day allowance automatically, and you can ask the border officer for it. The EU’s online stay tool does not count any visit that began before 10 April 2026, so if you were in Schengen earlier in the 180-day window, count those days yourself. Airlines cannot see your stay balance: carriers can only check whether short-stay visa holders have used up the entries on their visa.

Illegal crossings fell sharply

The report records that detections of illegal crossings at the EU’s external borders fell to fewer than 180,000 in 2025, a drop of over 25% on 2024, citing Frontex figures that put the fall at 26%. It credits stronger border checks and surveillance in several countries, while noting that coverage remains uneven.

Internal border controls are still widespread

The report notes that ten Schengen countries prolonged or maintained controls at their internal borders in 2025, citing migration and security concerns, and that in most cases these were non-systematic spot checks. It argues that police cooperation and checks inside the territory are often a better alternative, and that EES and the new EU migration and asylum rules should make it easier to lift internal controls over time. France is among the countries that have kept some form of internal control almost continuously since 2015.

In practical terms, this means travellers crossing into France from a neighbouring Schengen country by road or rail can still face document checks, even though internal borders are nominally passport-free. These checks are separate from EES, which applies only at external Schengen borders. Rail passengers arriving from London through the Channel Tunnel are a different case: that is an external border, so EES applies.

What the report says about ETIAS

ETIAS has no official start date yet; press reporting points to 2027. It is being developed by eu-LISA, and the report asks member states to ensure a well-prepared launch with adequate testing. The Commission says ETIAS is meant to identify security, irregular migration or high epidemic risks before people travel. For the current ETIAS launch position, see the ETIAS status page.

The broader picture: Schengen now rewards preparation

The report paints a border environment that is more data-rich and more automated than before. For the overwhelming majority of travellers, that means smoother border crossings once biometrics are enrolled and a cleaner record of days spent in the Schengen area. For anyone who has previously stretched the rules, it means a digital record of that behaviour kept for years.

EES queues this summer are a growing pain, not a permanent feature. As Frontex noted in June, the hardest part of the rollout is the initial biometric enrolment for first-time visitors. Once your record is on file, each subsequent crossing is quicker. Bear in mind that the 66 million figure counts entries and exits, not individual travellers.