Family Visiting From the US or UK: EES and ETIAS at Schiphol

What a winter visit costs your visitors, and the limits that count

Sources: travel-europe.europa.eu (ETIAS and EES, checked 3 November 2026), the EU’s visa fee of €90 since 11 June 2024, safetywing.com (31 October 2026). The two-adult sum is ours. Your visitors’ 90 days can already be partly used: a parent who stayed 60 days in the summer has 30 left until those summer days fall outside the 180-day window.

If a visitor wants to stay longer than 90 days, or you are not sure which document they need, the visa and permit finder shows the route per nationality; for the visa application itself, see the family visiting guide.

What is in force today: EES is live and affects your non-EU visitors; ETIAS is not running yet; and your own Dutch residence permit keeps you out of both. Every point below was checked against the official EU website (travel-europe.europa.eu), Government.nl and the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee on 9 October 2026; the ETIAS status and the EES pre-registration status were checked again on 3 November 2026.

💡 Related: family visiting for Christmas: Schengen visa and sponsor form, travel insurance vs Dutch health insurance, renewing your residence permit.

EES and ETIAS: what is the difference?

The two are easy to mix up. They do different jobs and start at different times.

Sources: travel-europe.europa.eu (EES and ETIAS sections), Government.nl (EES at the Dutch border), Royal Netherlands Marechaussee (EES), checked 9 October 2026; the ETIAS status again on 3 November 2026.

Does EES apply to me as a resident of the Netherlands?

No, as long as you hold a Dutch residence permit or long-stay visa. Government.nl lists four conditions that must all apply before someone is registered in EES: you are not an EU national, you are not a national of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland, you do not hold a residence permit or long-stay visa for the Netherlands, and you are coming for a short stay of up to 90 days in 180 days (or leaving). The EU’s own EES website lists “holders of residence permits and long-stay visas” among the groups it does not apply to.

That exemption only works if the border officer can see it. Three practical habits:

• Always travel with your residence permit card next to your passport, including on short trips to London or a weekend outside Schengen. Without it, you look exactly like a short-stay visitor.
• Ask before you queue at a kiosk. The EES kiosks are meant for travellers who need registration. If you are unsure which line applies to a non-EU passport with a Dutch residence permit, ask the airport staff or the Marechaussee.
• Mind the gap between permits. If your permit is being renewed and you only have a letter or an expired card, check the IND’s travel rules before booking. The residence permit renewal guide covers the timing.

If you think a border crossing was registered wrongly, for example because you were treated as a short-stay visitor, the Marechaussee website explains how to request a correction.

EU citizens living here are not affected at all, and neither are British nationals who hold a residence document under the Withdrawal Agreement: the ETIAS website confirms those documents exempt their holders from ETIAS. For EES, carry that document with your passport in the same way as any other residence permit.

What happens to your visitors at Schiphol

Your non-EU visitors are covered by EES whether they need a Schengen visa or not. The Marechaussee describes the arrival process at Schiphol like this:

1. Follow the “Non-EU passports” signs after landing.
2. Travellers aged 12 and over go to an EES kiosk: place the passport photo page on the scanner, look into the camera, place the fingers on the glass as shown.
3. The screen sends them to Route 1 (eGate) if they are 14 or older and hold a chip passport from an eligible country, or to Route 2 (border desk) for 12- and 13-year-olds, other nationalities, or when a notification appears.
4. A Marechaussee officer completes the check where needed.

Children under 12 cannot use the kiosks and are registered at the desk; the EU says fingerprints of children under 12 are not currently taken, even though the children are registered. According to the Marechaussee, the data stays valid for three years, so on a return visit within that period only the passport and biometrics are verified, which is faster.

At Rotterdam The Hague Airport, Eindhoven Airport, ferry terminals and international railway stations there are no eGates; everyone subject to EES goes to a staffed desk, with kiosks for pre-registration where available.

What EES stores. For visitors who do not need a visa: four fingerprints and a facial image. For visitors who do need a visa: only the facial image, because their fingerprints were already taken for the visa application. Plus the date and place of every entry and exit.

Pre-registering at home is not possible for the Netherlands yet. Government.nl says (checked 3 November 2026) that pre-registration via the EU’s Travel to Europe app is not yet possible for travel to the Netherlands and will likely become possible in 2027.

Tell your visitors to allow extra time

The first registration takes longer than a stamp did. Advise first-time visitors to keep connections on onward flights generous, and to have their return ticket and your address ready in case the officer asks about the purpose of the visit. If they are staying with you, the family visiting guide explains the proof of accommodation and sponsorship that visa-required visitors often need.

The 90/180 rule is now counted automatically

The short-stay limit itself is the familiar one: up to 90 days in any 180-day period, which the EU says is calculated as a single period for all countries using the EES. What changes is that entries and exits are now recorded electronically, and the EU says an overstay is identified and recorded by the system.

For long family visits, this matters:

• A parent who stayed 60 days in the summer has 30 days left until enough of those summer days fall outside the 180-day window. A long Christmas visit on top can easily cross the line.
• Side trips count. A week in Paris or Barcelona during the visit uses up the same 90 days.
• Everything is recorded. Entries, exits and refusals of entry are all registered in EES, according to the EU’s FAQ, so the history travels with the passport holder to the next border check.

The EU offers a “Check how long you can stay” tool on the EES website for people who are already registered. If your parents plan to come often, have them check before every trip rather than calculating on a calendar.

A visitor who wants to stay longer than 90 days needs a different route, such as a long-stay visa or residence permit. That is an IND matter, not a border matter; the visa and permit finder is a starting point.

ETIAS: not yet, but know what is coming

ETIAS is a travel authorisation for people who do not need a visa for the Schengen area. According to the EU it will apply to nationals of 59 visa-exempt countries and territories travelling to 30 European countries, including the Netherlands. Americans, Britons, Canadians and Australians are the groups most expat households will deal with.

Status on 3 November 2026. The official ETIAS website says: “ETIAS is currently not in operation and no applications for travel authorisations are collected at this point.” It adds that the EU “will inform about the specific date for the start of ETIAS several months prior to its launch.” The site gives no start date. Treat any specific date you read elsewhere with caution until it appears on the official website.

What it will look like, according to the EU:

• Fee: €20. Applicants under 18 or over 70 do not pay, and neither do qualifying family members of EU nationals.
• Validity: three years, or until the passport used for the application expires, whichever comes first. A new passport means a new ETIAS.
• Processing: most applications in minutes; otherwise a decision within four days, which can be extended by up to 14 days if extra information is requested, or up to 30 days if the applicant is invited to an interview.
• Information requested: personal and passport details, education and occupation, travel plans, and questions on criminal convictions and travel to conflict zones. No health information and no biometrics.
• Passport: valid for at least three months after the intended departure date and not older than 10 years.
• Without ETIAS, no entry: once ETIAS is running, the EU’s FAQ says travellers who need one and do not have it will be refused entry at the border. Check travel-europe.europa.eu for any transition arrangements when the start date is announced.

Who will not need ETIAS, again per the EU website: EU and Schengen nationals, anyone who already needs a visa (they keep applying for a visa instead), holders of a residence permit issued by an ETIAS country (except Cyprus), holders of a long-stay visa, and British Withdrawal Agreement beneficiaries with their residence document. Dual nationals who hold an EU passport must travel on that passport and do not need ETIAS.

Beware of unofficial ETIAS sites

Because ETIAS is not running, anyone charging for an ETIAS “application” today is not the EU. The official FAQ says it is the only official EU website for ETIAS applications, and that intermediary websites collect your data, file the application on the official site for you and may charge extra fees. When the system opens, apply only through travel-europe.europa.eu or the official ETIAS app. Share that with visiting relatives now, before they search for it.

Checklist for hosting visitors this winter

Health cover for visitors

Visitors are not covered by Dutch basic health insurance, and a GP or hospital visit here is billed privately. Visa-required visitors need travel medical insurance for their visa application anyway; visa-exempt visitors often come without any cover beyond what their home policy includes. For a winter visit it is worth checking before they fly. The travel insurance vs health insurance guide explains why a Dutch policy cannot be taken out for a visitor.

One option is SafetyWing Nomad Insurance. On 31 October 2026 its page listed prices from US$62.72 per four weeks for ages 10 to 39, a US$250,000 overall limit on the Essential plan and cover across 180+ countries, sold like a subscription. Prices differ by age, and the age selector on the pricing page stopped at the 60–69 bracket, so check eligibility for parents aged 70 or over before relying on it. For a visa application, confirm that the certificate meets the Schengen requirements of the consulate. Our SafetyWing review covers what the product does and does not include.

Check SafetyWing prices for a visiting relative

What to do now

For yourself: put your residence permit card in the same wallet as your passport and keep it there. If your permit expires in the next few months, sort out the renewal before booking travel.

For your visitors: send them three facts: EES registration at Schiphol takes a few extra minutes the first time; ETIAS is not needed until the EU announces a date, and should only ever be bought on travel-europe.europa.eu; and the 90 days now includes every Schengen country on the same trip.

The mistake to avoid: a long summer visit followed by a long winter visit. Before you book the second one, have your relative run the EU’s stay calculator. An overstay that nobody noticed under the stamp system is now recorded automatically.