site.btaEuropean Entry/Exit System to Be Applied at Bulgaria's Land Border Checkpoints Starting January 6

The European Union's Entry/Exit System (EES) will be applied at Bulgaria's land border control checkpoints as of 10 a.m. on Tuesday, the Interior Ministry said in a press release on Monday. The EES will be applied  at the Kapitan Andreevo, Lesovo, and Malko Tarnovo checkpoints with Turkiye, the Strezimirovtski, Bregovo, and Vrashka Chuka checkpoints with Serbia, and the Gyueshevo, Stanke Lisichkovo, and Zlatarevo checkpoints with North Macedonia. 

The EES has been in effect at the Kalotina border control checkpoint with Serbia and at all air, river and maritime border checkpoints since October 12, 2025, when the EES was introduced at the EU's external borders.

The EES registers electronically the data of third-country nationals entering the Schengen area for the first time for up to 90 days within a period of 180 days. Collected are biographic information and biometric data (photo and fingerprints). Subsequent entries require only a biometric face check. The System should become fully operational by April 10, 2026. 

The application of the EES in Bulgaria is in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2025/1534 of the European Parliament and of the Council of July 18, 2025 on temporary derogations from certain provisions of Regulations (EU) 2017/2226 and (EU) 2016/399 as regards the progressive start of operations of the Entry/Exit System, and the national plan for the EES' integration in stages.  The goal is to help prevent illegal migration and increase security in Schengen.