Europe’s Entry System Delays

Travelers heading to Europe this year may want to budget extra time upon arrival, as a new biometric border system continues to be rolled out across the region and Europe’s entry system is plagued with delays as a result.

The new Entry/Exit System (EES) is designed to digitally track when non-EU and non-Schengen visitors enter and leave participating countries. Instead of getting a passport stamp, travelers now have their passports scanned, along with fingerprints and a photo.

The new process applies to short visits of up to 90 days within a 180-day period. That rule hasn’t changed for visa-exempt travelers, including Americans. EU citizens, residents and people with long-stay visas are not affected.

The EES phased rollout began in October 2025 and is expected to be fully operational by April 10, 2026. However, some major airports in the region are already seeing massive slowdowns at passport control – evidence of Europe’s entry system delays.

According to the BBC, wait times of three or four hours have been reported at peak times as passengers move through the new scanning stations. Olivier Jankovec, director general of Airports Council International Europe — which represents over 600 airports — said passenger processing time has increased by “four to five times” with average wait times lasting around two hours.

Several factors are contributing to the delays, including a shortage of border staff and technical issues with some of the new machines. Jankovec also worries that things could get worse during major travel periods like Easter and the busy summer season.

Markus Lammert, European Commission Spokesperson for Internal Affairs, said the system has already logged about 23 million entries and exits, along with roughly 12,000 denied entries. He maintains that it has been running “largely without issues,” but admitted that member countries are still working to improve the process.

To help ease crowding during busy summer months, countries are allowed to “partially suspend” EES operations and go back to traditional passport checks if the electronic system becomes overwhelmed — at least until September.

Jankovec said airports would need to revert to the old system in order to handle the influx of passengers if “the situation becomes unsustainable at border control.” If airports were to adhere solely to EES protocols, and staffing and equipment functionality haven’t improved, he foresees wait times reaching five or six hours. 

Last week, UK travel trade association ABTA urged border authorities to make better use of such contingency measures, saying they have not always been used when needed. The organization also called on destinations and border agencies to plan better for peak travel periods.

For now, industry experts advise passengers to expect delays, especially during the busy season, and come prepared for extended waits. That might mean allowing extra time for connections or arrivals, bringing snacks and keeping kids entertained while they’re stuck in line.

This article originally appeared in TravelPulse.

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