Last Friday was the long-announced deadline date, when the new European Entry/Exit System was to be in effect at all Schengen-area ports and airports, replacing passport stamps with an electronic border. But, as anticipated, there are still gaps and difficulties.
The system, which is meant to track visitors to Europe and how long they stay, has been in start-up phase since last October, although long lines and technical failures at many points led to long lines and in some cases suspensions of the operation—and that hasn’t stopped at the official deadline.
For one instance, the Channel Tunnel, and the ferry port of Dover, main border points between the UK and Europe, have not even started on registering travelers by collecting their fingerprints and facial images. Border points at tunnel-bound rail stations and the ferry port are operated in England by French authorities, who have not supplied the necessary equipment and connections.
While most airports are now equipped and operating, months of delays in some areas—Portugal suspended the system for three months earlier this year—mean that long queues for first-time registration that might have been spread over six months are happening now at some locations, and a few airports have skipped all or part of the system to avoid being overwhelmed.
While all or most of these kinks will likely be resolved over the summer, it may cause another delay in the next rollout, the European Travel Information and Authorization System, or ETIAS. Under that plan, travelers to Europe who do not need visas will register their travel in advance and receive permission for up to three years of travel in and out of the zone.
The start of that system was set to take place six months after full implementation of EES, with October as the goal. The EU’s official ETIAS website still says only “ETIAS will start operations in the last quarter of 2026. No action is required from travellers at this point. The European Union will inform about the specific date for the start of ETIAS several months prior to its launch.”
