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Short answer: yes, EES pre-registration exists — and no, it does not work for Greece yet. The EU's free Travel to Europe app lets non-EU travellers submit their passport data and photo for the Entry/Exit System (EES) biometric border before they fly. As of August 2026 it is switched on for arrivals into Sweden and Portugal only. Greece has expressed interest but has not gone live, so for a Mykonos or Athens arrival the app currently changes nothing.
That matters more from 6 September 2026, when the temporary permission that let border posts pause biometric capture during heavy queues expires. Below is exactly what the app does, who can use it today, and what genuinely shortens a Greek border crossing when pre-registration is not an option.
Can you use the Travel to Europe app for a Mykonos trip?
Not yet. The app only works for arrivals in countries that have switched it on, and as of August 2026 that is two:
- Sweden — full pre-registration: passport data, facial image and the entry questionnaire, at a short list of airports.
- Portugal — the entry questionnaire only.
Greece is not live. Greek authorities have expressed interest in the app, as has Hungary, while France, Italy and the Netherlands are running pilots with Frontex at selected major entry points during 2026. So if you fly directly into Mykonos, or connect through Athens, the app does nothing for your border crossing today. It is useful only if your first Schengen entry point happens to be Portugal or Sweden — a stopover in Lisbon or Stockholm before an onward flight, for example. Decision rule: check which country you land in first, not which country you are going to.
What the Travel to Europe app actually does
The app is the official EU tool for EES, built and operated by the EU border agency Frontex. It is free, available on the Apple App Store and Google Play, and requires a biometric passport. It covers short stays of up to 90 days in any 180-day period. Using it, you:
- Scan your passport chip by holding the passport to your phone (NFC).
- Take a live selfie for identity verification.
- Fill in a short entry questionnaire (travel dates, accommodation, country of arrival).
Two limits matter. First, the app does not replace border control — an officer still checks your documents in person and makes the final decision on entry. Second, the app cannot take your fingerprints; on a first EES entry those are captured at the border by a guard, in every country, with or without the app. On privacy: the data you submit is held for about 7 days and then deleted automatically, and the app generates a QR code that some border posts may ask to see. Your biometrics are not stored permanently on the phone.
How to pre-register before you travel (72-hour window)
Only worth doing if your arrival country is live — currently Portugal or Sweden. You can build a journey up to 7 days ahead, but you can submit at the earliest 72 hours before travel:
- Download Travel to Europe from the App Store or Google Play.
- Open it and choose pre-registration for your trip.
- Scan your passport chip with NFC (hold the passport to the back of your phone).
- Take a selfie — good light, face the camera, no hat or sunglasses.
- Check that the details were read correctly and complete the entry questionnaire.
- Submit — you receive a confirmation and a QR code.
At the border: with vs without pre-registration
| With pre-registration | Without (do it all at the border) | |
|---|---|---|
| Passport / photo | Already submitted via the app | Passport scanned and photo taken at the kiosk/desk |
| Fingerprints (first entry) | Taken at the border by a guard | Taken at the border by a guard |
| Officer check | Still required in person | Still required in person |
| Time | Generally faster — data is pre-loaded | Slower — all data entered on the spot |
The EU says the app smoothens the process, but there is no official figure for minutes saved — claims of a fixed "30 minutes" are not substantiated, so treat any specific number with caution. The genuine benefit is that your passport data and photo are already in the system, so the kiosk step is quicker.
Why this matters more after 6 September 2026
When EES became fully operational on 10 April 2026, member states were allowed to partially suspend biometric capture at a specific border post when queues became unmanageable — for up to six hours at a time, biometrics only. The European Commission granted that for 90 days plus a 60-day summer extension, which ends on 6 September 2026. Nine member states, Greece included, asked on 7 July 2026 for it to continue; the Commission declined, and no extension had been confirmed by mid-August 2026 (checked August 2026).
In other words, the informal shortcut — a busy hour where biometrics were simply skipped — is going away, while the formal shortcut (pre-registration) is still not available for Greece. Decision rule: for a Greek arrival, budget time rather than technology. Greece never published an official pause measure in the first place, and EES has run at every Greek border crossing point since 21 July 2026.
Children, exemptions and the key rules
- Children under 12 are exempt from giving fingerprints under EES — but a facial image is still taken, and passport data is recorded for all ages. (This is the correct rule; it is not "under 6".)
- Pre-registration is valid within the 72-hour window before your trip; submit inside that window.
- The app never replaces the face-to-face border check and never guarantees entry.
- No nationality is exempt. Greece briefly excluded UK passport holders from EES biometrics in April 2026 and withdrew that exemption in late May 2026, after the European Commission made clear a member state cannot exempt a nationality — see our Mykonos EES & passport control guide.
When will the app work for Greece?
There is no confirmed date. Greek authorities have signalled interest, but Greece has not announced a go-live, and the EU is switching countries on one at a time — Sweden and Portugal first, with France, Italy and the Netherlands piloting. The rollout is expected to widen gradually through 2026–2027 as EES beds in across the participating countries. Until Greece actually appears on the official live list, be sceptical of any third-party site claiming you can already "pre-register for Greece", and verify on the official EU portal close to your departure date. For now, the practical plan for a Mykonos arrival is to allow extra time at passport control in peak season.
The bottom line for Mykonos travellers
For a 2026 Mykonos trip, the Travel to Europe app is one to watch rather than use: it is not active for arrivals into Greece, and most visitors clear EES either at Athens or another Schengen hub or, flying direct, at Mykonos Airport's small terminal. Install it only if your first European entry is in Portugal or Sweden, watch for Greece joining the rollout, and from 6 September plan on the biometric step being taken every time — no passport, and no app, gets you out of it.