European Union authorities are facing widespread travel disruptions as the new biometric Entry/Exit System causes long queues at major airports.
The implementation of this system affects how non-EU nationals enter the Schengen area. These delays are critical because they result in missed flight connections and significant congestion during the peak summer travel season.
Problems have intensified this summer across several major hubs, including Frankfurt Airport, Paris Charles-de-Gaulle, and Amsterdam Schiphol [4, 5, 6]. Travelers have reported waiting several hours in line to pass through border control [6].
One airport official said that wait times at passport control have tripled [3]. The Entry/Exit System (EES) is designed to strengthen security by using biometric data to track the movement of non-EU nationals [1, 7].
The phased rollout of the system began in October 2025 [7]. While the EU intended to modernize border management, the practical application has led to chaos at checkpoints. Airlines from the U.S. and Canada have issued warnings to passengers regarding the extended processing times [4].
Airport staff are managing the influx of travelers as the system struggles to handle the volume of the summer rush. The biometric requirements, which replace manual passport stamping, require more time per passenger, contributing to the bottlenecks. Authorities have not yet provided a timeline for when these processing delays will be resolved.
“Wait times have tripled at passport control”
The transition from manual passport stamping to a biometric digital record represents a significant shift in EU border policy. While the system increases the ability to track overstays and enhance security, the current infrastructure at major hubs appears unable to handle peak capacity. These disruptions suggest a gap between the technical design of the EES and the operational reality of high-volume international travel.
