The European Union’s biometric Entry/Exit System (EES) commenced service in October 2025 at the external borders of the Schengen area, replacing manual passport stamping with a digital register of personal data, entry and exit timestamps, and biometric identifiers including facial images and fingerprints. The system is active across air, land, and sea crossing points in 29 EU member countries.
Phased EU Deployment Overseen by eu-LISA
The rollout of EES has proceeded in stages, allowing individual border posts to be activated gradually, targeting full operational status by spring 2026. The EU agency eu-LISA manages the technical operation of the system, while national border services conduct biometric data
collection. Oversight and regulatory frameworks involve the European Parliament and the European Data Protection Supervisor.
Extended Queues and Delays at Airports and Land Borders
As of early 2026, several airports within the Schengen zone reported passenger waits of up to two hours at passport control during peak times due to mandatory biometric processing. Non-EU travelers making initial EES registrations face longer delays to provide full biometric data sets. Land border crossings, notably the Croatia–Serbia checkpoint, experienced multi-kilometer vehicle queues and wait times stretching several hours in late July and early August 2026, coinciding with high holiday travel volumes.
Operational Challenges and Dual Processing
The coexistence of manual passport stamping with the new biometric registration
in some facilities has led to duplicated procedures and slower overall processing speeds. Technical limitations such as kiosk availability, infrastructure constraints, and the need for manual assistance to certain passenger groups contribute to these bottlenecks. Varying deployment progress, staffing levels, and border layouts affect how quickly passengers are processed across different locations.
Industry Response and Mitigation Suggestions
European airline and airport associations, along with travel industry stakeholders, have called for heightened border staffing and infrastructure adjustments to accommodate the increased complexity. The European Commission and member states have been urged to utilize EES’s embedded flexibility to temporarily reduce biometric enrollment to alleviate peak-time congestion. Parliamentary
briefings acknowledge such measures to maintain line flow during acute delays.
Travel entities recommend that passengers allocate extra time when arriving at EU external borders and prepare for biometric checks. Tourism boards express concern that sustained processing delays could diminish Europe’s appeal for long-haul visitors accustomed to rapid electronic gates elsewhere. As the system continues integrating into regular border operations, lessons from stress points like land crossings are informing improvements at air and sea ports.
