Venice Airport: first assessment of the Entry/Exit System
Since the start of the test phase, Venice Marco Polo Airport has been taking stock of the introduction of the new Entry/Exit System (EES), launched by the European Union in October and set to become operational uniformly in the 29 Schengen countries from 10 April 2026.
The system, designed for the digital registration of entry and exit of visa-exempt third-country nationals over 12 years of age who stay in the Schengen area for short periods, was activated in Venice on 20 October, initially only for arriving passengers, as envisaged for all European airports at this stage.
In the non-Schengen arrivals area, SAVE has installed 30 self-service kiosks (another 18 already set up for the next use). In the first thirty days, the devices were used by 14,000 arrivals, with average recording times of about 1 minute and 30 seconds, a result 30% better than initial forecasts.
Once the registration at the kiosks has been completed, passengers can access the controls through the e-gates provided by Naitec, a company of the SAVE Group: 24 devices between arrivals and departures, equipped with the latest generation biometric panels and advanced systems for face and fingerprint recognition, ensuring fast and secure data acquisition. The traditional border, managed by the State Police, also remains fully operational for those who need manual control.
Dedicated staff is present in the arrivals area to assist Travellers throughout the procedure, ensuring smooth use of the new system. The introduction of the EES marks one of the most significant changes in border procedures in recent years and will require a physiological period of adaptation for passengers and operators. However, the Marco Polo, already in this experimental phase, confirms an advanced level of innovation and safety, in view of its official entry into force in 2026.
At the same time, the SAVE Group has started the same process as Venice airport in Treviso and Verona, with similar results.
At Treviso airport , 12 kiosks (6 arrivals, 6 departures) and 6 e-gates (3 arrivals, 3 departures) have been installed. While, at Verona airport there are 21 kiosks (12 arrivals, 9 departures) and 6 e-gates (3 arrivals, 3 departures).
