Schengen EES causing long queues

Europe’s new digital border checks are now fully live, and some airports are reporting waits of up to three hours for non-European Union passengers. (euronews.com) The Entry/Exit System became fully operational on April 10, 2026, after a phased rollout that began on October 12, 2025, in 29 European countries. It replaces passport stamps with digital records of entries, exits, and refusals of entry for short-stay non-European Union travelers. (home-affairs.ec.europa.eu) At the border, officers now record a traveler’s passport data, facial image, and fingerprints. The system applies at airports, seaports, and land crossings for stays of up to 90 days in any 180-day period. (consilium.europa.eu) The first full weekend brought missed flights and calls for emergency flexibility from airport and airline groups. Airlines for Europe said passengers faced “disruption and excessive waiting time” after the mandatory switch on April 10. (euronews.com) European Union officials say the system is meant to catch overstays, identity fraud, and people refused entry at one border who try again somewhere else. By March 30, the European Commission said more than 45 million border crossings had already been logged during the phased launch, with more than 24,000 refusals of entry and more than 600 people flagged as security risks. (home-affairs.ec.europa.eu) The practical change for travelers is that Entry/Exit System registration happens at the border, not before the trip. First-time travelers after the rollout may need extra time because their biometric file has to be created before they can clear passport control. (home-affairs.ec.europa.eu) (consilium.europa.eu) A separate system, the European Travel Information and Authorisation System, has not started yet. The official European Union timetable says it will begin in the last quarter of 2026, and visa-exempt travelers do not need to apply yet. (travel-europe.europa.eu 1) (travel-europe.europa.eu 2) When that second system starts, visa-free visitors will need online approval before departure, while Entry/Exit System checks will still happen on arrival. The European Commission’s own example says a traveler from the United States will need European Travel Information and Authorisation System approval once it launches and will also be recorded in the Entry/Exit System at the border. (home-affairs.ec.europa.eu) For now, the message from officials is simpler than the airport lines: no new pre-trip form is required today for European Travel Information and Authorisation System, but longer border processing is already here under the Entry/Exit System. (travel-europe.europa.eu 1) (travel-europe.europa.eu 2)