We are nearing the peak summer travel season, and Spoonbill Neighbor’s Mark Turgeon suggested sharing this warning: Get ready for delays…maybe long delays, if you’re traveling to Europe this summer.
The Reason is EES – What Is It?
As of April 10, 2026, the EU’s new Entry/Exit System (EES) is operational, replacing passport stamps with digital registration for non-EU visitors to 29 European countries. Travelers must provide facial images and fingerprints at the border, which may lead to longer wait times. The system tracks 90-day stays within 180-day periods.
Key Details for Travelers
- What is it: A digital, biometric registration system for short-stay, non-EU travelers.
- When: Fully active as of April 10, 2026.
- Where: Covers the Schengen Area (including 29 European countries), but not Ireland or Cyprus.
- Process: On your first entry after the launch, agents will take your photo and fingerprints.
- Impact: Expect potential delays and, in some cases, long queues at major airports and border crossings.
- Children: Children under 12 may have to see an agent, potentially increasing wait times for families.
How It Works – or Doesn’t
This new system is going to get you when you first arrive. That line to the immigration agent is likely to be long, frustratingly so. And the reason is that we are early in the game. Most people like you haven’t registered before. And they’re busy having their fingerprints taken and their irises scanned. And this takes time.
Is there an upside?
As of this writing the only good news to report is that once you have completed both fingerprint and retina collection, you won’t have to do it again for three years.
Is there any relief in sight?
Not really. Starting sometime in the last quarter of 2026, a new “visa waiver” system (ETIAS) will require citizens from over 59 visa-exempt countries—including the U.S., Canada, and Australia—to obtain a digital travel authorization to enter 30 European countries for short stays (up to 90 days). It costs €20 and is valid for three years or until your passport expires. This handles some of the visa pre-screening, but visitors will still have to submit to fingerprint and iris scan collection upon arrival.
Some countries have already suspended the system in frustration
From Biometric Update May 7, 2026
After Greece announced in April that it would suspend EES checks for British tourists due to long queues, UK news outlets have been reporting that Portugal and Italy could follow suit. The news, however, remains without official confirmation.
Croatia, which was another popular destination rumored to be ending EES checks for Brits, confirmed this week that the system will remain in place throughout the tourist season.
The European Commission has reminded that the EES has “built-in flexibility,” which allows authorities to pause biometric registration during peak periods. The option was introduced in February and allows temporary suspensions of the system for 90 days from its launch on April 10th, with another possible 60-day extension to cover the end of the summer season in September.
Some countries seem to be using the option: According to The Times, Portuguese border authorities are “informally” relaxing EES checks at airports when queues become excessive.
Meanwhile, criticism continues among air companies and travel agencies over chaos at airports.
Ryanair: EES is ‘half-baked’
Last Thursday, Europe’s biggest budget airline, Ryanair, wrote to 29 countries participating in the EES to suspend the system until September in order to prevent hours-long queues and disruptions for passengers.
“Governments across Europe are attempting to roll out a half-baked IT system in the middle of the busiest travel season of the year, and passengers are paying the price, being forced to endure hours-long passport control queues and, in some cases, missing flights,” says Neal McMahon, Ryanair’s chief operations officer.
McMahon called on governments to follow Greece’s example and suspend the EES until September, according to Connexion France.
Ryanair’s calls were joined by travel agency consortium Advantage Travel Partnership.
“Until EES can be implemented without a detrimental effect on the traveler experience, there must be flexibility; otherwise, we face undermining consumer confidence within the travel sector at a vital time,” says Julia Lo Bue-Said, the organization’s CEO.
We waited for almost 2 hours on arrival at Amsterdam airport. We had completed the UK ETA process on line and used the express registration at Netherlands customs, but we were then sent to a line for photos and fingerprint and this was the long delay. Hopefully, time will improve the system process.
This article is strange. I just got back from a long trip to Eastern Europe bouncing between 8 countries. The only delay we had was a long, 20 min, passport check in Amsterdam airport.