EES biometric – Hours-long lines, missed connections, and confusion at airport kiosks have emerged since the EU fully rolled out its biometric Entry/Exit System in the Schengen Area on April 10, 2026—replacing passport stamps with face and fingerprint scans. New research warn
For some travelers heading to Europe this summer, the problem isn’t the itinerary—it’s the line. At airports across the Schengen Area. passengers trying to get through the new biometric Entry/Exit System are reporting waits that stretch for hours. along with the kind of delays that can turn a connection into a missed one.
The EU says the system is meant to streamline border crossings for non-EU nationals on short stays. replacing manual passport stamps with face and fingerprint scans. But as the biometric process has moved from rollout to full implementation. accounts from travelers suggest the change hasn’t felt seamless—especially at the moments when every minute matters most.
The EES began a gradual rollout on Oct. 12, 2025. The EU then fully implemented the Entry/Exit System at all border crossings in the Schengen Area on April 10, with the face-and-fingerprint biometric checks taking over from traditional stamping, according to the European Union’s website.
Instead of instant processing, some travelers have run into bottlenecks. The Independent reported that British travelers have been warned of waits up to six hours at popular European destinations including Italy, Portugal and Spain.
At Brussels Airport, one traveler told Newsweek that biometric kiosks were not yet operating or were out of service. The traveler also said passenger communication was lacking.
The European Commission did not comment in response to USA TODAY’s outreach request.
The World Travel & Tourism Council is now putting hard numbers on the cost of those delays. In new research, the group warned that the friction at the border could lead some travelers to skip Europe altogether.
“As with any major transformation. there will inevitably be teething problems. ” said WTTC President and CEO Gloria Guevara in a news release. She added that the real question is not whether EES should proceed. but how governments. border authorities and the travel and tourism sector work together to make implementation smoother.
WTTC surveyed more than 2,500 travelers from Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States. The findings suggest that if travelers face regular border waits of three to four hours when entering the Schengen Area. around one-third would become much less likely to travel to Schengen or would choose not to visit at all.
WTTC estimated that could translate into a loss of up to 41 million visitor arrivals and $45.4 billion in visitor spending “should significant delays become a persistent feature of the traveler experience.”
The survey also found that 65% of respondents were in favor of modernizing border crossings, but nearly half said they didn’t know what was required under the new system.
Taken together. the reports and the survey point to a single problem travelers can feel immediately: the shift to biometric screening may be intended to speed things up. but during the transition it has produced uncertainty. equipment issues and long waits at the very places where timing is unforgiving.
WTTC says solutions already exist. “The good news is that solutions already exist,” Guevara said. She pointed to making greater use of digital pre-registration tools. improving traveler communications and ensuring operational readiness at border crossing points as ways to reduce friction and deliver the seamless experience travelers expect.
For travelers watching the clocks at customs desks, the question now is whether the system’s early strain will ease fast enough to protect summer plans—before delays start reshaping travel choices for the season.
EES EU border entry exit system biometric entry fingerprint scan facial scan Schengen Area travel delays Brussels Airport WTTC Gloria Guevara summer travel
So they replaced stamps with face scans and somehow it still takes FOREVER? Love that.
Waited in an airport once with the machines and it felt like the kiosk was judging me. Six hours is insane though. How is that “streamline”??
I read face and fingerprint entry and I’m like… so basically your passport is getting deleted? Like what if your scan doesn’t work, do they just deny you automatically? Also why are the kiosks “out of service” if they already fully rolled it out??
This is what happens when governments roll out tech and nobody tested it with normal people and normal stress. If you miss a connection that’s not just “delay,” that’s a whole trip ruined. And they say it’s for non-EU nationals like that doesn’t include half the tourists coming to spend money anyway. I’m not even trying to fly this summer if the lines are real.