Nine European countries, including France, Greece, Italy, and Portugal, have postponed the complete rollout of the European Union’s Entry/Exit System (EES) as they seek additional time to implement biometric checks at bustling airports and border crossings. The EES, which mandates non-EU travelers entering the Schengen area to have their fingerprints and facial images recorded, was officially launched last October but has encountered several delays due to technical and operational hurdles.
Germany, Malta, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and Belgium have joined in requesting more time to fully adopt the system. Meanwhile, Spain has successfully navigated initial challenges and moved forward with full implementation. EU sources report that the system has already registered around 200 million entries and stopped approximately 70,000 individuals from entering the Schengen area. These cases included travelers lacking necessary visas, overstayers, and individuals with forged identity documents.
Implementation of the EES remains inconsistent among the countries seeking extensions. Some locations, such as the Eurostar terminals in Brussels and the port of Antwerp, have already begun biometric checks, while several airports are still in the process of setting up the required infrastructure. Major international airports like Frankfurt and Schiphol have started these checks, though smaller airports are still grappling with capacity and infrastructure issues.
The International Air Transport Association has expressed concerns regarding potential travel delays caused by the system, and airlines have cautioned that long queues could exacerbate problems during peak travel seasons. To streamline the process, a pre-travel application called Travel to Europe is being introduced. This app allows travelers to submit passport details and facial images before arriving at the border and is currently operational in Sweden and Portugal, with plans for further expansion.