Continental Europe’s airports and border crossings are braced for potential congestion when a long-delayed security system that tracks passengers’ fingerprints is rolled out on Sunday.
The system will be introduced by the 29 countries of the borderless Schengen Area, which excludes Ireland. As well as comprising 25 EU member states, the Schengen Area includes Switzerland, Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein.
The checks will not apply to people holding EU residence permits or long-term visas.
Operators will begin registering biometric photos and fingerprints from people leaving or arriving in the bloc at certain border crossings, as the new Entry-Exit System (EES) is gradually introduced over six months.
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Ports, airports and train terminals have had to install machines to carry out the checks, which will enable officials to cross-check information about people’s immigration status and automatically identify those who overstay their visas or permitted stays.
“We will know who enters the EU when and where. It is the digital backbone of our new approach to border management,” EU home affairs commissioner Magnus Brunner said.
The system had been repeatedly delayed by concerns that the computer systems were not ready and that travel would be disrupted. EU countries ultimately decided to roll it out step by step, meaning it will only be fully operational on April 10, 2026, when it will replace manual passport stamps.
“Rolling out this large-scale IT system across 27 member states is a complex and demanding task, yet one for which we are prepared,” Mr Brunner said. “The six-month implementation period will ensure that member states, travellers and businesses can adjust smoothly.”
Despite the ramp-up, ministers in the UK are bracing for long delays next summer, especially during school holidays. The UK’s Department for Transport has secured two large sites in Kent that will serve as additional queues for vehicles waiting for the Eurotunnel or port of Dover, to try and prevent cluttering the road network.
Alex Norris, UK minister for border security and asylum, said the checks will be “a significant change for British travellers, which is why we have worked closely with our European partners to ensure the roll-out goes as smoothly as possible”.
The UK government has provided funding to ports and operators with the transition, predominantly in setting up testing sites.
Simon Lejeune, a senior director at Eurostar, said the “staggered introduction of EES . . . is very welcome”. He added: “This will help support a smoother operation and enable customers to get used to the EES process.”
While the system is similar to e-gates in operation at many airports, operators are nonetheless braced for complaints from customers who suffer delays, as registering the biometric information for the first time will take longer than subsequent checks.
“Much will depend on how the system will behave on launch day, and on adequate police staffing at the control posts,” said Ourania Georgoutsakou, head of lobby group Airlines for Europe.
“Most importantly, airline crews should not be held up at the border and they will be processed as quickly as possible, in the same way as before.”
ACI, which represents European airports, stressed that “the management of border crossing points lies with the [EU] member states, not with airport operators”.
Countries will at first start implementing the checks only at certain border crossings or for certain categories of people. The Netherlands, for instance, will start at the ports of Ijmuiden and Eemshaven. It will only introduce controls at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport on November 3rd.
In Germany, biometric controls will start at Dusseldorf Airport on Sunday, then at the airports in Frankfurt and Munich, followed by seaports and other crossings.
The system was agreed in 2017 but has been pushed back several times – delays that operators say have allowed them to iron out bugs and carry out testing. “No one has an excuse not to be ready,” Eurotunnel chief executive Yann Leriche told the FT during a demonstration of its technology at Folkestone. - Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2025
