New EU passport headaches

Europe’s new digital border system is now slowing arrivals into the Schengen area, with travelers reporting multi-hour queues and missed flights since full rollout on April 10. (europa.eu) (manchestereveningnews.co.uk) The Entry/Exit System replaces passport stamps for non-EU visitors on short stays in 29 participating European countries. It records passport details, fingerprints, a facial image, and the date and place of entry and exit. (europa.eu) The European Commission said the system began a progressive rollout on October 12, 2025 and became fully operational on April 10, 2026, after more than 45 million border crossings were logged during the phased launch. (europa.eu) The bottleneck is hitting first-time users hardest. The Commission says a traveler’s first crossing requires biometric enrollment, while later crossings are meant to be faster because officials only need to verify the stored record. (europa.eu) Airports and airlines say the first days of full operation have not been smooth. The Points Guy reported waits of up to three hours at some airports, and Manchester Evening News said passengers have already missed flights after getting stuck in the new queues. (thepointsguy.com) (manchestereveningnews.co.uk) One of the clearest examples came at Milan Linate, where more than 100 passengers missed an easyJet flight to Manchester after long passport-control lines. Reports said the plane left with only 34 passengers on board after crew-duty limits prevented a longer delay. (news.yahoo.com) (simpleflying.com) Ryanair has warned customers to expect longer queues under the new checks. Its help center says the system may cause delays at border control as biometric registration is added for non-EU, non-EEA and Swiss passengers entering the Schengen area. (ryanair.com) The system is aimed at tightening border records and automatically spotting overstays, not just speeding up lines. The Commission says digital entry and exit logs will replace manual stamps and make it easier to detect travelers who stay beyond the 90-days-in-180 rule. (europa.eu) British travelers are especially exposed because they now enter the Schengen area as non-EU visitors after Brexit. Manchester Evening News said the disruption has already fed political arguments in the UK over whether leaving the EU made the new border friction more visible for British holidaymakers. (manchestereveningnews.co.uk) The Commission says later crossings should become quicker once travelers are enrolled, but the first weeks of full operation are turning a border-tech upgrade into a practical airport problem at the start of the summer travel season. (europa.eu) (forbes.com)