Friday, April 10, is the final deadline for the full introduction of Europe’s new Entry/Exit System (EES). This requires all non-EU citizens, including Americans, to register at European border crossings using their biometric data when visiting most countries in the Schengen Area, which includes providing fingerprints and facial scans.
Any traveler entering the European Union (EU) for a short-term stay of up to 90 days within a 180-day period must use this system, but the actual rollout has proven erratic and unreliable. This creates a confusing travel situation for Americans headed abroad, particularly if they’re moving between multiple EU countries on their vacations.
American travelers were warned about hours of impending travel delays due to Europe’s EES as early as November 2025, when the system was first being rolled out. Airport organizations began calling for a suspension of the system months ago because of hours-long airport queues, but implementation has moved forward anyway for most European nations, leaving travelers with the potential for massive delays and overall chaos if they’re headed to the EU for their Easter or summer trips.
How EES Works And What Travelers Should Expect
Long lines of travelers waiting in a queue at passport control in Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, France, EuropeCredit: via Shutterstock
To register with the EES, all travelers (including American passport holders) aged 12 and over must scan their fingerprints and have their photo taken at a European border crossing, typically upon arrival at an airport’s passport control (the same applies if entering Europe’s Schengen Zone via a land or sea border point). This process is repeated at every border crossing to verify the traveler’s identity.
Sweden and Portugal have implemented the “Travel to Europe” mobile application to complete a pre-arrival questionnaire that speeds up processing.
The EES is designed to prevent overstays and flag visitors who are misusing visa-free travel or using fake identities. This system will replace inked passport stamps, and traveler registrations within the EES are valid for three years. Travelers who are lucky enough to travel through one of the entry points that’s already testing out this system are a step ahead.
The EES Rollout Has Been A Bumpy Ride So Far Across Europe
In a Facebook reel, Mr TravelON described the EES as “a farce,” saying that “the world has gone absolutely crazy.” The EES began a gradual rollout in October 2025, when 10% of ports began using the system. This increased to 35% of ports in January and 50% by March 10. The process has been far from smooth.
Across Europe’s Schengen Area, border control processing times increased by as much as 70%, with waits as long as three hours during peak travel times. In Geneva, travelers even had to wait in four-hour lines in December. Lisbon Airport, which saw some of the worst delays, suspended the EES system for three months to control delays, but EES has since returned to full operation there.
Looming System Suspensions In Response To Spotty Performance
EES kiosks in SpainCredit: Shutterstock
Though all ports in the European Union’s Schengen Area are supposed to have the EES operational by the April 10 deadline, member states can request a suspension, and many are expected to do so.
Despite the looming deadline, France has yet to develop the necessary technology to comply with full biometric checks. The Aéroports de Paris in France have already called for a suspension through the end of summer.
“We reiterate our call on the European Commission and member states to extend the possibility to fully or partially suspend EES – where operationally necessary – during the entirety of the 2026 summer season. This flexibility has proven vital in preventing catastrophic operational disruptions during the progressive rollout of the system. If the technical and operational issues with EES are not resolved, this flexibility should remain available during future peak travel periods, such as winter 2026/2027,” said ACI Europe and A4E leaders.
The ACI called out serious issues with the system that remain unresolved, including:
Border control staff shortages
Limited use of automated border control gates
Technical and maintenance issues with self-service kiosks
Reliability concerns with the central EES IT system
Passports will still be wet-stamped at the Port of Dover in the United Kingdom, Eurotunnel’s Le Shuttle, and Eurostar for the time being. The Police aux Frontières (France’s border authorities) are conducting manual enrollments to create EES files for the Eurotunnel. Full EES formalities in these areas are only applied to truck drivers, bus passengers, and ferry foot passengers who were previously checked by French border officials after November.
Cars boarding Le Shuttle EurotunnelCredit: Ad Meskens, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Though implementation in some areas is spotty, the EES has teeth when it’s functioning. During the phased implementation, 30 million crossings were processed, and around 16,000 travelers were refused entry due to irregularities with their documentation and overstays in the EU.
The EES program is being implemented in all member states of the European Union with the exception of Ireland and Cyprus. Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland are using the program as well. Americans headed to any of these countries for their Easter holiday or summer travel should prepare for delays and watch for EES updates so they know what to expect.