Eu’s High-tech Entry/exit System Hits A Major Snag: Passengers Endure Extensive Delays And Confusion As New Border Control System Struggles

Published on October 18, 2025

The EU’s long-awaited Entry/Exit System (EES) launched connected October 12, 2025, to heighten separator information and streamline travel. However, method glitches and manual processing person caused terrible delays, frustrating travelers crossed awesome airports successful Europe. Despite its committedness to velocity up separator checks, nan system’s rocky rollout has led to agelong lines and confusion, highlighting issues successful some implementation and communication. As Europe adjusts to this caller system, nan increasing pains are evident, pinch travelers base nan brunt of nan disruption during highest recreation times.

On October 12, Europe knowledgeable important disruptions arsenic nan European Union officially launched its long-anticipated Entry/Exit System (EES), designed to heighten information crossed nan Schengen Area. The automated strategy requires non-EU travelers to registry biometric data—including fingerprints and facial images—when entering aliases leaving nan area. Although nan strategy is intended to streamline separator controls, travelers reported agelong queues and method glitches astatine cardinal airports, peculiarly during nan first rollout.

At Prague’s Václav Havel Airport, 1 of nan first awesome hubs to instrumentality nan EES, passengers from countries specified arsenic nan United Kingdom, Turkey, Egypt, and nan United Arab Emirates reported hold times of up to 90 minutes. Despite first soft operations, delays began to escalate aft nan greeting flights arrived.

The system, designed to process biometric information automatically done self-service kiosks, faced superior issues erstwhile airdrome unit had to manually cod nan data. Czech authorities instructed separator officers to process travelers by hand, a determination that led to agelong backups and important delays successful nan terminals. British travelers shared their frustration, pinch immoderate passengers saying they had to hold successful statement for up to an hr and a half. Others recounted that officers fto passengers from countries for illustration nan UK and Australia usage EU lanes to thief trim nan congestion.

The EES replaces accepted passport stamps for non-EU and non-Schengen citizens, including those from nan UK post-Brexit. The strategy intends to way overstays, amended separator security, and streamline nan introduction and exit process. By 2026, it will automatically seizure biometric and recreation details, including introduction and exit times, separator locations, and visa validity.

The motorboat of nan strategy has been uneven crossed Europe. While countries for illustration Czechia, Estonia, and Luxembourg person afloat implemented nan system, others, specified arsenic Spain, are rolling it retired gradually to minimize disruptions. This staggered attack intends to alleviate nan consequence of strategy failures during highest recreation times. Airlines and recreation experts had raised concerns astir nan timing of nan rollout, pinch galore informing that nan engaged recreation play would exacerbate imaginable issues.

Ryanair’s CEO, Michael O’Leary, expressed uncertainty astir nan system’s capacity to grip precocious postulation volumes, peculiarly during nan wintertime season. He predicted a “bumpy and lumpy” acquisition for travelers arsenic nan strategy adjusts to dense loads. Similarly, manufacture groups, including nan UK’s Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA), advised travelers to let other clip erstwhile entering nan EU, anticipating delays arsenic nan strategy adapts.

Despite nan frustrations, not each passengers encountered important delays. Early greeting travelers astatine Prague’s airdrome reported smoother processing, though galore others recovered nan process unclear, peculiarly regarding which lanes to usage for biometric registration. Returning travelers whitethorn spot faster processing times erstwhile their biometric information has been captured, but nan strategy is still adjusting, which intends immoderate travelers will look inconsistent procedures depending connected wherever they participate nan Schengen Area.

Technical glitches person besides contributed to nan delays. In Prague, package issues caused kiosks to fail, preventing biometric information from syncing pinch EU databases. Officers were forced to revert to manual processing, which slowed nan full operation. While nan European Commission has acknowledged these “teething problems,” they emphasized that they expect nan strategy to amended arsenic unit go much acquainted pinch nan exertion and method issues are resolved.

The Schengen Area, which sees astir 500 cardinal separator crossings annually, is expected to afloat instrumentality nan EES by outpouring 2026. Once operational, non-EU travelers—including those from nan UK and nan US—will nary longer person passport stamps. Instead, biometric information will beryllium captured and shared done a centralized EU database. Participating countries specified arsenic France, Germany, and Italy person each started aliases will soon statesman rolling retired nan system, pinch each federation determining its ain timeline.

Brexit has besides played a domiciled successful nan challenges travelers face. British citizens, classified arsenic “third-country nationals,” are now taxable to further screening, which has been a root of vexation for galore travelers. Some person voiced concerns complete longer waiting times, and location are indications that this caller strategy whitethorn lead immoderate to reconsider EU destinations owed to nan added complexities of nan caller separator checks.

In consequence to these early-stage issues, airdrome authorities are moving to amended nan process. In Prague, officials stated that nan early take of nan EES was meant to trial nan strategy and robust retired immoderate problems earlier it is rolled retired crossed different awesome airports. France, for example, is taking a akin approach, gradually introducing nan EES earlier nan 2026 Summer Olympics successful Paris, erstwhile nan metropolis is expected to acquisition a surge successful rider traffic.

As portion of nan wide effort, nan EES captures 4 fingerprints and a facial image for each traveler, alongside their passport details. This biometric information is stored successful a centralized EU database, managed by eu-LISA, nan EU agency responsible for large-scale IT systems successful justness and location affairs. This information will beryllium shared crossed nan personnel states, ensuring much meticulous search of separator entries and exits, while besides supporting early initiatives specified arsenic nan European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS), which will require pre-authorization for non-EU visitors.

Despite nan method challenges, nan overarching extremity of nan EES is to heighten separator information and forestall overstays, arsenic good arsenic destruct inefficiencies linked to manual passport stamping. However, nan roadworthy to afloat implementation remains fraught pinch issues, arsenic nan strategy must beryllium cautiously calibrated to grip millions of passengers seamlessly.

Tourism organizations are calling for clearer connection astir nan system, peculiarly regarding nan postulation of biometric data. Many travelers are still unaware of nan afloat scope of nan changes, and airdrome authorities are moving to supply amended guidance. Some airports person implemented multilingual signage and video instructions to assistance passengers successful navigating nan caller procedures.

For now, nan EES stands arsenic a modernizing effort that faces important early setbacks. The extremity of creating much businesslike separator controls has been met pinch vexation and confusion, peculiarly astatine airports for illustration Prague. However, nan EU is committed to refining nan system, and travelers tin expect improvements arsenic nan strategy becomes afloat integrated crossed Europe.

The situation will beryllium to move nan first increasing pains into a smoother, much reliable process earlier nan upcoming vacation seasons. Ultimately, nan EES represents a basal displacement successful really millions of travelers will participate and time off nan Schengen Zone, but whether nan strategy tin emergence to meet its promises remains to beryllium seen.