Schengen border chaos

Europe’s new Entry/Exit System hit full operation on 10 April, and the first weekend brought border lines of up to three hours and missed flights. (euronews.com) The Entry/Exit System is now running across 29 European countries and logs each short-stay crossing by non-European Union travellers instead of stamping passports. It records a traveller’s name, travel document details, fingerprints, facial image, and the date and place of entry or exit. (home-affairs.ec.europa.eu) The European Commission said the system began a phased rollout on 12 October 2025 and became fully operational on 10 April 2026. France’s foreign ministry said travellers do not need to file anything in advance for Entry/Exit System checks themselves. (home-affairs.ec.europa.eu) (diplomatie.gouv.fr) The new checks apply to non-European Union and non-Schengen travellers entering for short stays of up to 90 days in any 180-day period. That includes British visitors, visa-exempt tourists, and business travellers, while European Union citizens, residence-permit holders, and long-stay visa holders are exempt. (euronews.com) (diplomatie.gouv.fr) The Commission says the point of the system is to automate border records, spot overstays, and make identity fraud harder by matching fingerprints and face scans at each crossing. It said more than 45 million border crossings were registered 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) That security case has collided with airport operations. Airlines for Europe and Airports Council International Europe said the first full day of operation was marked by disruptions, delays, and missed flights, and Airlines for Europe asked Brussels to allow full or partial suspension of the system until the end of summer where necessary. (euronews.com) Travel warnings had been circulating before the switch. Euronews reported on 6 April that travellers should expect significant airport delays in the first months of full operation, even with promised flexibility for excessive summer queues. (euronews.com) The system does not cover every European Union country. Ireland and Cyprus are outside the Entry/Exit System, and manual passport checks continue there, while the 29-country rollout covers the Schengen area and associated states using the system. (euronews.com) (home-affairs.ec.europa.eu) Another border change is still ahead. France’s foreign ministry said the European Travel Information and Authorisation System, a separate online travel authorisation for visa-exempt visitors, is expected from the last quarter of 2026, after the biometric entry system is already in place. (diplomatie.gouv.fr) For now, the immediate effect is simpler than the technology behind it: passport stamps are out, biometric checks are in, and airports are absorbing the slowdown in real time. (home-affairs.ec.europa.eu) (euronews.com)