Some travellers passing via the brand new EU entry-exit system (EES) have confronted big delays at border checks, with some ready for as much as three hours, airports say.
The brand new guidelines have steadily been launched in Europe since October 2025, and got here into impact on Friday within the Schengen nations – 25 of the EU’s 27 states plus Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein and Switzerland.
Tons of of individuals responded to a Guardian on-line callout to share their experiences of travelling to Europe because the guidelines got here into impact. Although some stated they’d a problem-free journey, many reported extreme delays, which have prompted some to overlook their flights.
Travellers described issues with fingerprints not being accepted and extra delays when travelling with kids. Many stated there was little steering on utilizing the kiosks. Some additionally stated they needed to repeat the registration course of on every leg of their journey, regardless of having already accomplished it, with no explanations from workers – or no workers accessible to ask.
Dave Giles, 47, an IT supervisor from Raunds in Northamptonshire, missed his flight residence on 12 April from Copenhagen, the place he had been to a music pageant along with his household, after being caught in lengthy queues at passport management regardless of arriving hours early.
Dave Giles (proper) and his daughter, Imogen, with Giacomo Voli of Rhapsody of Hearth, one of many bands on the pageant they attended in Copenhagen. {Photograph}: Dave Giles
“After they referred to as the gate and we received down in direction of passport management, there was a queue of most likely 80 to 100 folks in entrance of us and solely three kiosks checking passports,” he stated. “Earlier than lengthy, a type of closed.”
Workers appeared conscious of the problem, however had been unable to resolve it in time. “A supervisor was making calls asking them to carry the gate open,” he stated, however by the point he reached the entrance, “the gate had been closed just a few seconds earlier than we arrived”.
The disruption left him considerably out of pocket, forcing him to purchase new flights for the next day, discover lodging for that night time and pay further parking prices at Stansted. He additionally needed to rent a automotive and drive from Heathrow to Stansted, as the one accessible flight landed there. “We’ve received receipts for about £1,800 – it’s most likely over £2,000 in complete. It’s extraordinarily irritating.”
Giles stated he didn’t count on to see that cash once more. “Insurance coverage gained’t contact it. The airline stated it wasn’t their fault,” he stated, including that he had emailed the airport. “I’d be stunned to get a reply from anyone.”
Georgia, from London, skilled a four-hour delay on arrival at Pisa airport on 10 April. “There have been no workers in sight to advise on ready instances,” she stated.
For Georgia, who’s 5 months pregnant, it was an arduous wait. “There have been folks with infants however no particular help accessible, or any seating. Folks at the back of the queue turned extremely popular, caught in a windowless hall for hours.
“I sat on the ground and needed to inform the folks round me I used to be pregnant and to present me some house as a result of I used to be virtually fainting. They had been handing out water, however solely once you received to the very entrance of the queue, which was about 4 hours in.”
She stated she was now apprehensive about travelling in Europe once more. “I used to be meant to fly to Paris this weekend with my husband, however I’ve cancelled the journey simply because I couldn’t face it once more. I’ve a visit to Greece arising, however I noticed that they’re not following the brand new system, which was wonderful information.”
Stuart MacLennan, 49, from Oban in Scotland, discovered travelling with kids notably troublesome. He flew from Glasgow to Málaga on 11 April, the place he was met with lengthy queues as numerous flights had arrived on the similar time. This delay was a “nightmare”, Stuart says.
He and his spouse needed to wait with their kids, aged one and 7. “There was no actual route as to the place to go,” he stated. “After about half an hour, we had been moved into a special line as a result of we had kids underneath the age of 12. We then queued for two-and-a-half hours earlier than we ultimately received to passport management.”
His return journey from Málaga 4 days later was worse, with a queue of three-and-a-half hours for these with under-12s. Like Georgia, he desires to keep away from the system in future. “It might put me off travelling again to busier European airports,” he stated.
Different travellers stated the self-service kiosks meant for use to course of their registrations had been both not but in use or not working.
Dylan Thomas skilled delays on two journeys. {Photograph}: Dylan Thomas
Dylan Thomas, 23, an HR affiliate from Lincolnshire, skilled delays utilizing the system on two latest journeys. He stated there had been a two-hour wait on arrival in Madeira on 15 March and on his return journey from a solo journey to Brussels on the Eurostar on 6 April.
“It was ridiculous,” he stated. “There will need to have been about 20 machines, however all of them had plastic wrapping on them and couldn’t be used … There was just one individual manually checking everybody.”
Paul Coleman, a retired volunteer from Southend-on-Sea, stated workers at Kraków airport in early February had resorted to utilizing their very own cellphones. He and his spouse, Nicolette confronted a three-hour wait at passport management.
Paul Coleman and his spouse, Nicolette, in Kraków. {Photograph}: Paul Coleman
“The cameras on the machines weren’t working, so that they received their cellphones out and took photos of us. It was simply loopy,” he says. “There was no clarification of what the hold-up was, no apology.”
Delays may have a selected impression on aged folks, stated David, 75, from Durham. On a visit to Gran Canaria in February, he was saved on the airplane for half-hour as a result of queues at Fuerteventura airport. “The primary single queue was big, which everybody needed to be part of, even those that had offered their biometrics beforehand. They need to be separate. Higher signage, proven earlier, would velocity the method up.
“That they had a system the place they herd non-EU passport holders into an space with glass partition partitions. There’s not sufficient seats. You’ve received a variety of aged folks standing, with no rest room services. In the event you do need to go to one of many bathrooms within the different space, you get searched once more. It truly is a multitude.”
He added: “The airways appear to have abdicated any duty. They only stated: it’s your job to get to the gate.”
“I believe the overriding factor is it’s inconsistent,. You’ve received no thought what’s going to occur once you hit these airports.”
