Have you been horrified by recent images of extremely long lines at U.S. airports as a result of the ongoing partial government shutdown? We regret to inform you that similar scenes could soon be playing out in Europe, albeit for a different reason.
Friday, April 10, has been set as the deadline for full implementation of the continent's Entry/Exit System (EES), which uses biometric data to register the border crossings of non-EU citizens, including Americans.
Replacing passport stamps (RIP) in 29 countries, the EES requires each incoming non-EU citizen to scan fingerprints and allow a facial photo to be taken at the first European border crossing point encountered.
That biometric data is then stored by the EES for the next 3 years, tracking the traveler's entries, exits, and any refusals of entry. You'll still need a valid passport.
Once registered with EES, you don't have to do the photo-and-fingerprint thing again until 3 years have gone by.
There's no fee for EES but you can't opt out. Those who refuse to provide biometric data will be denied entry to any country using the system. (Kids under age 12 will not have to get fingerprinted.)
The nations participating in the program are 25 of the 27 European Union member states (only Ireland and Cyprus are sitting this one out), plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland.
With the stated purpose of improving border security and ultimately making crossings more efficient, the EES began a gradual rollout in October 2025.
To put it mildly, the transition has not been seamless.
How EES has led to long airport lines in Europe
Requiring multitudes of incoming visitors to supply biometric data upon arrival has reportedly resulted in longer-than-usual lines at passport control areas throughout Europe, including in Geneva (where waits stretched to 4 hours in December); Oslo, Norway; Lisbon, Portugal (where officials decided to pause the program for 3 months starting in late 2025); and elsewhere.
In fact, the industry group Airports Council International has found that EES has so far "resulted in border control processing times at airports increasing by up to 70%, with waiting times of up to 3 hours at peak traffic periods."
The organization claims that passengers are "especially impacted" at airports in France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Portugal, and Spain.
And this is before the busy summer season kicks into gear.
Two factors compounding the problem: 1.) At this point, you have to do the EES rigmarole in person at airports (options for submitting biometric info in advance are still in the works); and 2.) Even if you've already submitted your fingerprints and photo for the 3-year period, you still have to get in the same line for non-EU travelers in order to have your status verified by the kiosks.
That takes less time than the initial setup, but you still might have to wait in an enormous line to get to the machines.
Is there any way to prepare for the expected long lines at European airports this summer?
Forewarned is forearmed, as they say.
Knowing that you might be in line for a while at passport control upon arrival in Europe, don't schedule anything, if possible, for at least 3 hours after touchdown. That would apply to dinner reservations, theater tickets, arrangements for ground transportation, what have you.
This is especially important with regard to connecting flights. EES applies to the first European border you cross, so if your connection requires going through passport control, you might get stuck in a long line that causes you to miss your next flight.
The BBC recommends choosing "extra-long layovers" to avoid that headache.
It's smart to find out as well whether you'll even need to go through passport control during your layover. For example, some busy hubs, such as Munich and Frankfurt in Germany, have "international transit zones" where travelers don't have to go through the full border-crossing protocol if they're just touching down between two non-European destinations.
Another thing to keep in mind is that the new system's implementation will likely be bumpiest at the start, so if you have any flexibility in your travel plans, maybe consider delaying your Europe trip to the later part of summer or early fall.
Another ray of hope: The BBC mentions that border authorities may temporarily suspend EES operations at any given airport "for up to 6 hours during peak travel times until September to help ease congestion."
Course, you won't know ahead of time when those reprieves will be, so that won't help much with advance planning.
And get this: In the last quarter of 2026 you can expect a whole new hoop to jump through.
That's when the EU hopes to launch its much-delayed European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS), a digital travel permit that non-EU citizens (including Americans) will need to apply for in advance online and pay a fee of €20 ($23) to get.
That could potentially introduce a fresh set of delays and bureaucratic hurdles, just in time for the busy holiday travel season.