Overview
- The Entry/Exit System registers non-EU travellers’ biometrics, replacing passport stamps, and became fully active across 29 Schengen countries in April.
- EU officials are holding talks about pausing or extending the EES deadline after industry warnings, and sources say Commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas has privately signalled a pause may be possible though no EU-wide decision has been published.
- Airlines and airport operators report specific capacity and technical shortfalls, including too few biometric kiosks, insufficient staff and software outages, with Alicante singled out as underprepared.
- The UK government has announced £20 million to add passport booths at the Port of Dover and airports are planning upgrades as short-term measures to ease departure-side congestion.
- If checks go ahead on schedule, travellers face longer queues and a higher risk of missed flights, so the next milestones to watch are a formal EU decision on any extension and concrete installation and staffing timelines at major airports.