That the rollout of EES (Entry/Exit system) has not been smooth would be an understatement. Rolled out across EU on April 10th of 2026, the new digital border system for checking non-EU travellers’ documents has created massive bottlenecks and glitches over the peak holiday season. Staff shortages and occasional equipment failures at these entry points have made delays worse.
The EU’s biometric border system is causing waits of up to 2 hours at major airports, with Frankfurt, Amsterdam and Munich among the hubs reporting the biggest delays. Airports and airlines are experiencing operational disruption, with flight delays and missed connections, both in Europe’s largest hubs and in smaller airports serving major tourism destinations. The EU has issued a waiver for biometric collection until September 6, but many countries where airport wait times have ballooned have asked for the waiver to be extended.
Plus the timeline of lunching ETIAS is uncertain, as technical problems with Europe’s new border system continue to cause headaches.
Disclaimer: This helpful post contains some affiliate links. If you click on any of the links in this post (AND make a purchase) I may receive a small commission at absolutely no cost to you. As such I thank you in advance should you decide to click & buy.
Page Contents
What is EES?
The EU’s Entry/Exit System (EES) is replacing the traditional passport stamping process for travellers arriving from countries outside the Schengen Area. Under the EES, non-EU passengers have to register fingerprints and facial images the first time they enter the Schengen zone. And then have their biometrics verified every time they leave and re-enter.
The system applies to non-EU/Schengen citizens travelling to Schengen or EU countries for short stays. People coming from certain countries, such as the US, UK, Australia, or Latin American states, are not required to get a visa, but they are still subject to the EES system.
The system was introduced to strengthen border security, improve the monitoring of short-term stays and help authorities detect individuals who overstay their visas or attempt to enter the Schengen Area illegally. It is now in place at all the external borders of all 29 countries in the free-travel area, meaning all EU countries except Cyprus and Ireland, plus Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Iceland, and Norway.
Why is the digital border system causing delays?
Biometric Capture
The biggest challenge is the additional time required for first-time registration. Non-EU travelers must provide fingerprint and facial scans on initial entry, heavily slowing down processing compared to manual passport stamps.
Before reaching passport control, eligible travellers must complete a biometric registration, usually at dedicated self-service kiosks located inside the airport. While the process is straightforward, it takes considerably longer than the previous passport stamping procedure, especially when large numbers of passengers arrive simultaneously.
Flight Bunching
EES is in force at land, sea, and air borders, but its implementation is creating hiccups and bottlenecks mostly at airports, with long queues and complicated procedures. Queues spike drastically when multiple flights arrive or depart at the same time.
Infrastructure Limits & Glitches
At many airports, older terminal layouts lack adequate space and self-service kiosks for fast registration. Airport organisations across Europe say that the infrastructure needed to support the new system has not yet been implemented uniformly. Some airport terminals do not have enough operational capacity, including border guards, appropriate infrastructure, and automated border control machines.
Some repeat visitors are being told to register again, even though this is the exact opposite purpose of EES. In many cases, repeat visitors who have successfully registered still have to wait in line for kiosks with all the first timers, saving almost nothing. And in many cases the machines just don’t work.
Worst affected airports
Industry reviews and airline warnings highlight these specific airports as major bottleneck blackspots:
Spain: Alicante, Málaga, Palma de Mallorca, Tenerife South, Madrid, and Lanzarote
Germany & Netherlands: Frankfurt, Munich, Amsterdam Schiphol, and Berlin Brandenburg
Italy: Milan Bergamo, Milan Linate, and Rome Fiumicino
Others: Lisbon (Portugal), Paris Beauvais (France), Kraków (Budapest/Poland), and Athens (Greece)
The consequence is several half-empty planes at gate closing time, while passengers are still stuck in border control queues. Wait times at border control have increased significantly, sometimes reaching 3-4 hours during peak traffic periods and impacting thousands of passengers.
What can the travellers do?
Check airline advice: Monitor messages from your carrier regarding ongoing airport congestion and terminal wait times.
Allow extra time: Give yourself an extra hour on top of standard international arrival recommendations if you are traveling through major or heavily congested hubs. Building in plenty of time to check in and complete the EES registration steps will help you to avoid missing your flight.
Read your paperwork: If you miss your flight due to EES queues, airlines are under no obligation to put you on another flight without an extra charge. Travel insurance is unlikely to cover the cost of new flights, hotels or any other losses incurred as a result of delays caused by EES queues.
ETIAS rollout
ETIAS, or the European Travel Information and Authorization System, is a planned system that would require travelers from outside the EU to register for a travel authorization before boarding their flights. The ETIAS system, which will eventually require travellers from countries including the UK, US, Canada and Australia to apply for pre-travel authorisation.
It was designed to be implemented once the EU’s automated Entry Exit System (EES) was fully in place over the summer of 2026. ETIAS was previously expected to launch in 2027. Now, even that timeline is uncertain, as technical problems with Europe’s new border system continue to cause headaches.
What are your travel plans for 2026? Share with us in the comments below.
Join me on Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook as I share my travel experiences.