- Prague reported 150-minute queues and Paris 41-minute waits on first day of full enforcement
- Processing times increased from 20 seconds to 90 seconds per passenger
- Irish passport holders exempt but facing collateral delays due to queue management issues
- Spanish, French, Italian and Portuguese airports projected as highest-risk hotspots
- IATA and ABTA urge European Commission to reinstate discretionary flexibility
The expiration of the European Union’s temporary Entry/Exit System emergency flexibility rules on 6 September 2026 has caused significant delays at European borders, with Prague reporting wait times of up to 150 minutes and Paris Charles de Gaulle recording 41-minute queues. The end of this transition period, which served as a summer safety valve allowing border agents to temporarily suspend biometric data collection during passenger surges, has removed these safeguards and reinstated full mandatory fingerprint and facial scanning requirements. Travel industry experts warn that the removal of these discretionary powers could bring back severe gridlocks experienced at major hubs before the summer pause.
The EES replaces manual passport ink stamps with digital registration for all non-EU and non-Schengen travellers, increasing passport processing times from a historical average of 20 seconds to roughly 90 seconds per person for mandatory biometric scanning. Travel experts project the sharpest increases in wait times at airports and ports across Spain, France, Italy and Portugal, where prior to the summer pause major hubs like Amsterdam Schiphol and Lisbon recorded peak wait times reaching up to 300 minutes. Irish passport holders remain legally exempt from the EES requirements but face collateral delays at several popular European destinations due to airports failing to effectively separate queues, occasionally funnelling Irish travellers into longer non-EU lines.
Industry bodies including IATA and ABTA are urging the European Commission to reinstate discretionary flexibility until all EES infrastructure is fully stable and operational across all participating countries. Travel experts advise passengers to avoid tight flight connections at Schengen borders, with ABTA noting that checks should remain flexible and recognising that there is still considerable progress required before EES achieves full and consistent operation across all member states. The current situation represents a significant operational challenge for European border authorities managing the transition to the new digital entry system.
