The European Union’s biometric Entry/Exit System (EES) for non-EU nationals has been fully deployed across 29 participating countries as of August 2026. Operational since October 2025, EES replaces manual passport stamping with digital recording of personal data and biometric identifiers including fingerprints and facial images to enhance security and automate overstay calculations.
Since the biometric checks became mandatory, longer queues and processing delays have been reported at airports and land borders. Early 2026 reports show waiting times of up to two hours at busy European airports, particularly affecting passengers from the UK, US, and other third countries, who must provide
full fingerprint and facial scans upon their first entry.
Manual passport stamping remains in use alongside EES at some locations, creating duplicated border procedures. Border officials are required to manage both traditional booths and biometric kiosks, increasing processing complexity and delays, especially at high-traffic hubs.
Industry groups and airport associations have warned about queues potentially stretching to several hours during the peak summer travel season. The Croatia–Serbia land border has experienced queues several kilometers long and multi-hour waits due to the biometric processing time and ongoing infrastructure upgrades lagging behind traffic demands.
Europe’s EU agency for large-scale IT systems, eu-LISA,
oversees EES operations, while national border services handle biometric data collection. The European Parliament and European Data Protection Supervisor provide oversight. Parliament documents state member states may temporarily reduce biometric enrollments during congestion to speed up processing and keep lines moving.
Constraints including infrastructure and staffing limitations contribute to bottlenecks at Schengen external borders. The phased rollout of EES aimed for full biometric deployment by spring 2026, but flexibilities remain for busy periods. The extended processing caused by fingerprinting and facial scans, combined with legacy manual checks, contribute to the operational pressures during the busy summer 2026 travel season.
