Overview
- The EU rolled out the Entry/Exit System in April 2026 to replace passport stamping with digital records that collect facial images and fingerprints for non‑EU travellers.
- Operational gaps such as missing or inactive kiosks and staff shortages have lengthened processing times, producing queues reported up to six hours and causing some passengers to miss flights.
- Greece has officially exempted British travellers from biometric enrolment and Rome’s airport operator has warned it may need to allow travellers to skip checks to avoid 'disaster', pressuring governments to consider temporary local suspensions.
- Frontex and EU spokespeople say biometric registration can be suspended temporarily during peak tourism periods, while limited technical workarounds like the Travel to Europe pre‑registration app are available only in Portugal and Sweden for now.
- Travel advisory bodies urge passengers to allow extra connection time and bring food and water, and officials note EES records last three years and that a separate ETIAS travel authorisation will add another pre‑travel step later in 2026.