British travellers heading to Europe for meetings, conferences, and corporate events are being urged to brace for longer wait times at border control, as the EU’s new Entry/Exit System (EES) begins phased implementation across Schengen member states.
The digital border scheme, designed to register non-EU nationals, including UK passport holders, requires biometric data collection at entry points. This includes facial scans and fingerprinting, replacing traditional passport stamping. While the system aims to streamline border security and enforce the 90-day rule, early reports suggest operational teething problems are already causing congestion.
Seen at Prague Airport, one of the first hubs to fully activate the system, staff have reportedly been instructed to manually record biometrics at passport control desks due to non-operational kiosks. Travellers from the UK, Australia, and the UAE have described queues stretching up to 120 minutes or more, with some being redirected to EU lanes in an effort to ease pressure.
Industry leaders are sounding the alarm. Julia Lo Bue-Said, CEO of Advantage Travel Partnership, advised travellers to allow “between three and four hours from the point of entry” to avoid missing onward connections. Ryanair’s Michael O’Leary warned of a “bumpy and lumpy” rollout, particularly as winter travel picks up.
The EES is expected to be fully operational by April 2026, with over 1,800 border crossings across the Schengen zone affected. For business travellers, the impact could be significant – especially at high-traffic airports like Frankfurt, Paris CDG, and Amsterdam Schiphol, where biometric infrastructure is still being scaled.
Travel associations are recommending that professionals build in buffer time for meetings and consider flexible itineraries. With biometric checks now a reality, the days of breezing through European borders may be behind us.