In Europe, 29 countries will soon replace passport stamps with a new Entry/Exist System (EES). The policy, which has been delayed for years, will now go into effect starting Oct. 12 and be introduced gradually, with the full implementation expected to be complete by April 10, 2026.

The electronic authorization is an “automated IT system for registering non-EU nationals travelling for a short stay, each time they cross the external borders of any of the following European countries using the system,” according to the European Union. The policy, aimed at modernizing borders, will collect data listed in travelers’ documents, the date and place of each entry and exit, a facial image, and fingerprints.

Europe isn’t alone in moving toward a digital border. In January, the United Kingdom implemented its electronic travel authorization (ETA) fee, which is now required for most travelers arriving in the country, including from the United States. At the time, the long-anticipated fee was called a step toward “a modern immigration system.”

Even the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has started expanding its facial recognition technology at airports across the country, and programs like Clear Plus, which uses fingerprint, eye, or facial scans to speed through security, are gaining in popularity.

Other countries are moving away from stamps as well. Australia, for example, stopped issuing passport stamps as far back as 2012, according to the country’s ABC News. Destinations like Hong Kong, Singapore, and Argentina have similarly eliminated them. Even the U.S. has started to phase out the use of physical stamps, Harvard University noted.

But while travelers may lament the loss of that tangible reminder of a trip, one thing they should never do is put a souvenir stamp in their official passports. That’s because the document warns the holder that “only authorized officials of the United States or of foreign countries may place stamps or make notations or additions.”

This is the complete list of countries where the EES will be implemented on a gradual basis:

• Austria
• Belgium
• Bulgaria
• Croatia
• Czechia
• Denmark
• Estonia
• Finland
• France
• Germany
• Greece
• Hungary
• Iceland
• Italy
• Latvia
• Liechtenstein
• Lithuania
• Luxembourg
• Malta
• Netherlands
• Norway
• Poland
• Portugal
• Romania
• Slovakia
• Slovenia
• Spain
• Sweden
• Switzerland”

How does this impact us? Soon, as we enter Spain, we will receive a 90-day stamp, plenty for our six-week stay while we await the cruise from Barcelona at the end of October. On the upcoming 47-night back-to-back cruise, we will need a few online visas, which we’ll process while we’re in Spain.

We won’t be watching wildlife all day, so we’ll have plenty of time to process visas and do some sightseeing. We will report back on the visas we’ll need for the cruises.

Be well.

Photo from ten years ago today, August 15, 2015: