If you're planning a trip to Disneyland Paris - or anywhere in Europe - in 2026 and beyond, there's a new border system you'll need to know about. The EU Entry/Exit System, known as EES, launched in October 2025 and has been rolling out across the Schengen Area ever since. It's the biggest change to EU border crossings for British travellers since Brexit, and given that France is a popular destination for UK holidaymakers, it has a direct impact on every Disneyland Paris trip.
The good news is that it's not as complicated as it sounds. The less good news is that the rollout has been... let's say, behind schedule. Here's everything you need to know - what EES is, how it works, and what it means practically when you're heading to Marne-la-Vallée with two tired kids who keep asking if you're there yet.
Note: EES is still being rolled out and the situation at specific border points is evolving. Always check the latest guidance from GOV.UK before you travel.
- What Is the EU Entry/Exit System?
- Why Has EES Been Introduced?
- How Does EES Actually Work?
- Who Does EES Apply To?
- Travelling to Disneyland Paris by Eurostar
- Travelling by Eurotunnel or Dover Ferry
- Flying to Paris
- Practical Tips for Your Disneyland Paris Trip
- What About ETIAS?
- The 90-Day Rule: Does It Affect You?
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What Is the EU Entry/Exit System?
The EU Entry/Exit System is a new digital border management system that launched across the Schengen Area on 12th October 2025, with full implementation completed on 10th April 2026. It replaces the old system of border agents physically stamping your passport when you enter and leave EU countries.
Instead of a stamp, EES creates a digital record of your border crossing. That record includes your name and travel document details, a facial image, your fingerprints, and the date and location of your entry and exit. Your digital profile is stored in a central EU database for three years - so on subsequent trips, you'll just need to provide a fingerprint or photo at the border rather than going through the full registration again.
The system covers all 29 countries in the Schengen Area, which includes France, Spain, Germany, Italy, Greece, Portugal, the Netherlands, and a further 21 countries. Ireland and Cyprus are not part of the Schengen Area and are therefore not covered by EES.
Why Has EES Been Introduced?
The short answer is that the old passport stamp system was pretty easy to abuse. Stamps could fade, be missed entirely, or in some cases be outright forged. For travellers overstaying their permitted time in the EU - which for non-EU visitors is 90 days in any 180-day period - there was no reliable way to catch it automatically.
EES fixes that by creating a consistent, cross-border digital record that automatically calculates how long someone has been in the Schengen Area. Border authorities across all 29 countries can access the same database, so there's no longer any ambiguity about where you've been or how long you've stayed.
There's a security angle too. By collecting biometric data, the EU can detect identity fraud more reliably than a manual passport check allows. Since the system launched, the EU has reported cases of travellers attempting to cross using different identities being flagged by the biometric matching - which wouldn't have been caught under the old system. Long term, the EU also argues EES will actually speed up border crossings once everyone is enrolled and the infrastructure is bedded in.
How Does EES Actually Work?
On your first visit to the Schengen Area after EES registration, you'll be asked to complete a biometric registration at the border. Here's what that involves:
- Scanning your passport or travel document at a self-service kiosk
- Having a photo of your face taken
- Providing your fingerprints
You don't need to do anything before you travel. There's no online pre-registration required, no app to download (though a pre-registration app is expected to be introduced eventually), and no fee. You simply turn up and complete the process at the border.
Once your profile is created, it's valid for three years. If you travel to the Schengen Area again within that time, you'll only need to provide a fingerprint or photo at the border - both on entry and on exit - rather than going through the full registration again.
Children under 12 are not required to provide fingerprints but will still need a facial scan. Children of all ages are subject to the system.
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Who Does EES Apply To?
EES applies to non-EU nationals travelling to the Schengen Area for short stays. As a UK passport holder travelling for a holiday or short trip, it applies to you - full stop. Since Brexit, British citizens are treated as third-country nationals at EU borders, which is exactly the category EES is designed for.
There are some exemptions. You are not subject to EES if you:
- Hold an Irish passport (Ireland is not in the Schengen Area)
- Are a British citizen with EU residency status (such as a settled status permit in an EU country)
- Are a family member of an EU citizen and hold a residence card
- Are crew on a train, plane or ship on official duty
- Are travelling on behalf of the armed forces on official business
- Hold a long-stay visa or residence permit for an EU or Schengen country
If you're a dual national holding both a British and an EU passport, you can travel on your EU passport and bypass EES entirely. For most UK holidaymakers, though, the system will apply.
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Travelling to Disneyland Paris by Eurostar
Eurostar is one of the most popular ways for UK families to reach Disneyland Paris, and it's the route most directly affected by EES. Because of the juxtaposed border controls that have existed since the Le Touquet Treaty in 2003, French border checks happen on UK soil at London St Pancras before you board the train. This means your EES registration will take place at St Pancras, not when you arrive in Paris. The same applies in reverse - leaving France via Paris Gare du Nord, you'll complete EES exit checks before you board.
EES kiosks are installed at St Pancras in three locations throughout the station. Eurostar has also allowed passengers to board trains 30 minutes earlier than previously to reduce congestion at the gates, which is helpful - though the physical constraints of St Pancras mean there's only so much that can be done. The platforms there were not built with biometric border queues in mind.
Practical advice for Eurostar to Disneyland Paris: Arrive at least 30 minutes earlier than you normally would, especially during school holidays. Have passports - including children's passports - immediately to hand.
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Travelling by Eurotunnel or Dover Ferry
If you're driving to Disneyland Paris via the Channel Tunnel or a Dover ferry, the EES situation is - if anything - even less settled than for Eurostar passengers. EES was introduced for coach passengers and freight at Eurotunnel and Dover from 12th October 2025. For car passengers - which is the vast majority of families driving to Disneyland Paris - the rollout has been a bit slow, but be prepared and assume the new system has been implemented.
The geography makes this particularly thorny at Dover. The French border checks happen on British soil, and there is physically limited space to process the volume of traffic Dover handles. Test runs of the new processing system reportedly produced wait times of around six minutes per vehicle - which doesn't sound enormous until you multiply it by the number of cars in a summer ferry queue. Expanded processing areas have been built at Dover's new Western Docks to help manage this, but concerns about congestion remain.
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At Eurotunnel's Folkestone terminal, 224 biometric kiosks have been installed - 106 at Folkestone and 118 at Calais. The infrastructure is ready. Importantly, EU member states have the flexibility to temporarily suspend EES checks for up to 90 days after the April 2026 full launch - with a possible 60-day extension - specifically to manage summer travel congestion. Whether France makes use of that flexibility at the Channel crossings over the summer remains to be seen.
Practical advice for driving to Disneyland Paris: Allow at least an extra hour in your journey plan, particularly if you're travelling during UK school holidays. Have every passenger's passport on their person and ready to scan - not in the boot. Check the Eurotunnel or DFDS/P&O website for current guidance before you travel, as the situation may change at relatively short notice.
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Flying to Paris for Disneyland Paris
If you're flying to Paris Charles de Gaulle and then transferring to Disneyland Paris - which is straightforward on the RER A or by taxi - EES checks will take place on arrival at CDG rather than before you leave the UK. CDG is France's busiest international airport. They'll be people there to guide you when you land. You'll scan your passport, have a photo taken, and provide fingerprints at a kiosk or with a border officer. You must allow extra time for your transfer plan from the airport to the resort, particularly if you're arriving on a peak day.
The quickest route from CDG to Disneyland Paris is typically the RER B to Chatelet-Les-Halles, then the RER A to Marne-la-Vallée/Chessy, which takes around 45 minutes in total from the terminal. If queues at border control are longer than expected, give yourself a buffer before any booked transfer or shuttle.
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Practical Tips for Your Disneyland Paris Trip
Regardless of how you're travelling, here are the things worth knowing before you go:
You don't need to do anything in advance. There is no pre-registration website or app currently in operation. Anyone selling EES registration services online is operating fraudulently. Just turn up at the border with your passport.
Your passport must be valid. EES kiosks will flag passports with less than three months' validity, or passports older than 10 years, automatically. Don't get caught out by the Relatively Unknown EU Passport Rule if you still hold an older passport. This is now enforced by the machine rather than a human, so there's no flexibility. Check your passport - and every member of your party's passport - well in advance.
Your digital record lasts three years. Once you've registered, your EES profile is stored for three years. On your next trip within that window, you'll only need a fingerprint or photo at the border rather than going through the full process again.
Children are included. Everyone in your group needs to go through EES checks. Under-12s are exempt from fingerprints but still need a facial scan. Don't expect to carry children through without their own registration.
You may be asked questions about your trip. Under the Schengen Border Code, border officers can ask where you're staying, how long you're visiting, and how much money you have with you. Although the EU is generally less strict than the US. This has always been the case since Brexit, but EES makes it more likely these questions will be asked electronically as part of the process. Know your hotel name and how many nights you're staying.
Allow extra time. This is the one piece of advice that applies to every route and every scenario. Whether it's 20 extra minutes at St Pancras or an extra hour built into a Dover crossing, the EES process does add time. During UK school holidays especially - Easter, summer, October half term - border points will be under more pressure.
What About ETIAS?
You may have seen references to ETIAS - the European Travel Information and Authorisation System - and wondered if it's the same thing as EES. It isn't. ETIAS is a separate pre-travel authorisation scheme, broadly similar to the US ESTA or the UK's own ETA. Once live, it will require UK travellers to apply online before visiting the Schengen Area and pay a fee. The authorisation would be linked to your passport and valid for three years.
ETIAS is not yet in operation. The EU has indicated it expects to introduce ETIAS towards the end of 2026, with a transitional grace period of at least six months - meaning it's unlikely to be mandatory until 2027 at the earliest. You don't need an ETIAS for any trip you're planning now.
Importantly: any website currently claiming to sell ETIAS authorisation is fraudulent. When ETIAS does launch, the only legitimate application site will be the official EU Travel Europe website. The GOV.UK guidance page is clear on this.
The 90-Day Rule: Does It Affect Disneyland Paris Visitors?
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For most UK families visiting Disneyland Paris for a few days, the 90-day rule is not something you'll ever need to think about. The rule states that non-EU visitors can spend a maximum of 90 days in the Schengen Area in any rolling 180-day period. A four-night trip to Disneyland Paris uses four of those 90 days.
Where EES makes this more relevant is for people who travel to Europe frequently - whether for work or leisure. Previously, passport stamps were the only record, and they were imperfect. EES creates an accurate digital count that's consistent across all 29 Schengen countries. So if you're the sort of person who takes multiple European trips a year, it's worth being aware that your days in France, Spain, Italy, or anywhere else in the Schengen Area all count towards the same 90-day total.
For the vast majority of Disneyland Paris visitors, this simply isn't a concern. But it's worth knowing the rule exists, particularly as EES now enforces it more reliably than the old stamp system ever did.
Disneyland Paris Offers & Deals
Find the latest Disneyland Paris offers on this Disney Holidays deals page or the DisneylandParis.com homepage. If there's no deal or discount for the dates you're looking to visit Disneyland Paris, the best way to find the cheapest nights is using the Disneyland Paris Price Estimate Calendar. It's a very helpful tool to clearly see prices for date ranges you want to visit. Click here to use the Disneyland Paris Price Estimate Calendar.
Disneyland Paris Booking Guide
For a hotel & ticket package book your stay through DisneylandParis.com by clicking here and arrange your transport separately. If you want to book a package that includes transport (for example, ferry crossing, Eurostar etc) book your stay through Disney Holidays UK by clicking here.
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