Overview
- Officials quietly allowed at least nine Schengen states to postpone full enforcement of the Entry/Exit System after the 150-day safety valve expired on 6 September, saying the aim is to maintain border fluidity.
- The system requires first-time registration of fingerprints and a facial image that are sent from national enrolment points to the central eu‑LISA portal, but persistent 'plumbing' faults have meant some scans never reach the central database.
- Border officers have sometimes been unable to retrieve traveller files, forcing repeat enrolments and creating long queues and missed flights at major hubs and leisure airports across Europe.
- Airlines and industry groups have lobbied Brussels for a formal extension of the derogation and for extra staffing and fixed kiosks, while Frontex warns processing may take one to two years to stabilise.
- Governments including the UK have provided targeted funding and contingency measures to ease delays, and Brussels says blanket suspensions lack a clear legal basis as it examines limited operational options.