Travelers entering Europe’s Schengen Area are reporting lengthy waits, repeated biometric checks and missed flights as the Entry/Exit System replaces traditional passport stamping.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Travelers from visa-exempt countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom, are encountering major delays at some European entry points as the European Union rolls out biometric screening under its new Entry/Exit System.
The system, known as EES, requires certain non-EU travelers entering the Schengen Area to register a digital border record using passport scans, fingerprints and facial images. The process has replaced the traditional practice of physically stamping passports, creating new steps for passengers at airports and border crossings.
Some travelers have faced waits of up to six hours while moving through the new checks, according to Afar’s report. The publication also reported that some passengers have been directed to complete the biometric process more than once, adding to missed connections and disrupted travel plans.
One case involved British traveler David Newton, who told the U.K.’s iPaper that he and his family waited five hours at Paris Charles de Gaulle International Airport before missing their flight back to England. After booking another return flight, the family waited another four hours to check their bags and then had to go through the EES process again. Their total time at the airport reached 11 hours.
The delays have drawn concern from the airline industry. During the International Air Transport Association’s annual meeting in Rio de Janeiro, Rafael Schvartzman, IATA’s regional vice president for Europe, warned that the system could produce “challenging waiting times” of “three, four, five, and even six hours.”
Under the EES process, travelers entering one of the 29 Schengen Area countries for the first time must create a biometric file at a self-service kiosk. That file is created by scanning a passport and submitting facial and fingerprint data. The record remains valid for three years and is used by border authorities to verify identity when travelers enter and leave participating countries.
After the initial enrollment, passengers using automated border gates must rescan their passports and again submit fingerprints and facial scans to confirm their identity.
Supporters of biometric border technology have framed the system as a modernization of border controls, but the rollout has raised concerns about airport congestion, traveler privacy and the burden placed on passengers who previously moved through border checks with passport stamps. Critics have also questioned whether expanding biometric data collection meaningfully addresses broader migration and security challenges in Europe.
The shift comes as the European Union continues to expand digital identity and data-driven border systems, prompting broader debate over whether such measures improve security or further reduce privacy. Privacy advocates have separately warned that European policy changes could weaken protections tied to the GDPR, ePrivacy rules and the AI Act, according to Reclaim The Net.
For travelers, the immediate issue is practical: the new system adds biometric enrollment and verification steps to border processing. As more passengers encounter the system, airlines and border authorities are facing pressure to prevent long queues from becoming a routine part of travel into Europe.
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