This European Country Will Roll Out An All-New Travel Entry Process That Ditches Passport Stamps

Some frequent travelers love collecting passport stamps and flipping through it to see page after page of stamps that tell the story of their international trips. Sadly for those who delight over these little ink souvenirs, more and more countries are giving up the practice altogether, switching out this tangible, analog option for more streamlined, high-tech, and secure border crossing procedures. 

The Republic of Croatia is about to implement a new system for incoming travelers from outside the European Union (EU), which means, among other things, that whether you're flying to see the ancient ruins in Pula, exploring the walkable fairytale city of Dubrovnik, or escaping the tourist crowds at a secluded beach paradise, you're not going to get that gratifying stamp in your passport.

Croatia may be the first, but it will not be the last to eliminate passport stamps. It is a part of the EU's new Entry/Exit System (EES), which is rolling out across Europe over the course of six months, starting on October 12, 2025. By April 10, 2026, EES will be the standard across all countries in the European Union. Theoretically, the automation of this process may make getting into European countries quicker and more efficient while tightening up security, but sadly, it also means that there will be no more passport stamps for incoming travelers.

In Croatia and the rest of the EU, passport stamps will soon be a thing of the past. The new EES system is in the process of being implemented, so if you have plans to visit Croatia after mid-October or any other EU country after the spring of 2026, you will have to use this new border crossing procedure. 

The system collects and stores biometric data about travelers, which means images of their faces and fingerprints, in order to correctly identify them, reduce human trafficking cases, and attempt to reduce the risk of terrorist attacks. Over time, this process will be increasingly automated with a self-service kiosk for travelers to use. If you're headed to Croatia soon, or whenever you decide to go into a country using the EES, you will have to provide that biometric info for them to verify your identity in the future. 

While the EES is expected to generally speed up border crossings, this process might take a little longer the first time. Instead of giving you a passport stamp, a passport control officer will take your picture and fingerprint you. If you want to get through border control and be looking at the brilliant night sky in the pretty Croatian island town of Jelsa as soon as possible, you should look into the Frontex "Travel to Europe" mobile app, which can allow you to upload that data in advance and save you time at the airport.