You’ve booked the flights, dreamed of the tradition and are counting down the times till your European getaway. However a brand new, high-tech safety system being rolled out at main airports is popping that dream arrival into lengthy strains and delays for People touchdown in some European locations. Whereas some People are flying via the brand new system in minutes, others are reporting confusion and lengthy wait occasions. It can all depend upon the place and once you land.
Right here at Journey Off Path, we’re all about supplying you with the true, on-the-ground intel you could journey smarter. We have been monitoring a surge of stories from vacationers and official sources, and the story is obvious: the complicated, country-by-country launch of Europe’s new biometric border guidelines is inflicting delays, with some People reporting waits of up to three hours simply to get via immigration. Beneath we’ll go over the airports with the longest delays and what you possibly can count on on your flight.
Right here’s what you could know earlier than you fly.
First day of the brand new biometric screening for non EU nationals. The EU queue in Brussels airport just about non existent compared pic.twitter.com/vfN2zDOA1s
— Joe Lynam (@JoeBLynam) October 13, 2025
What Precisely Is Taking place on the Border?
That is all a part of the EU’s new Entry/Exit System (EES), the high-tech course of that’s changing conventional passport stamps. As an alternative of a border officer stamping your passport, non-EU vacationers now have to make use of a self-service kiosk to supply their biometric knowledge: particularly, 4 fingerprints and a facial {photograph}.
Whereas the purpose is to hurry issues up in the long term, the preliminary rollout has been a catastrophe in a number of key airports. An ideal storm of technical glitches, inadequate staffing to assist confused passengers, and a scarcity of clear directions is creating large bottlenecks.
Airports To Maintain An Eye On
Based mostly on a consensus of current traveler stories and official airport statements, these are the current hotspots for potential delays. Bear in mind there are a lot of elements that may have an effect on wait occasions at immigrations together with the time you land and staffing ranges.
- Brussels, Belgium (BRU): That is the epicenter thus far. The airport has publicly acknowledged “challenges” with the brand new system, and vacationers are constantly reporting immigration queues of as much as three hours, inflicting missed connections and immense frustration.
- Prague, Czech Republic (PRG) : Prague’s Airport debut of the EU’s new EES biometric system was marked by chaos, as non-functioning self-service kiosks compelled all non-EU vacationers to be processed manually, resulting in immigration queues of up to 90 minutes. Vacationers can now count on longer-than-usual waits and are being formally suggested to reach on the airport at the very least three hours earlier than their departure to be protected.
@lucyadams19 By no means happening vacation once more #fingerprint #faceid #entry #ques #entryexitsystem ♬ Jet2 Advert – ✈️A7-BBH | MAN 🇬🇧
- Rome, Italy (FCO): Whereas the scenario in Rome isn’t the meltdown seen in Brussels, vacationers ought to nonetheless be ready for a brand new and doubtlessly slower arrival course of. The EES system is now operational at Fiumicino Airport, and whereas widespread, multi-hour delays aren’t being constantly confirmed by official sources, a big variety of current on-the-ground traveler stories nonetheless level to longer-than-usual queues and confusion on the new kiosks. The underside line: your entry might be easy, or it might be gradual, so budgeting additional time is the good transfer.
- Spain (MAD & BCN): The scenario at Spain’s busiest airports is a transparent signal of the adjustments to come back, however the widespread chaos has not but arrived. Official bulletins and traveler stories verify that Spain is conducting a really gradual and cautious rollout of the EES. Which means that whereas you will note the brand new biometric kiosks at Madrid and Barcelona, they’re being applied in a phased method. For now, widespread, constantly lengthy queues aren’t a significant difficulty, however vacationers must be conscious that the system is new and the scenario is growing.
- Paris, France (CDG): The rollout in Paris is inflicting some confusion. Charles de Gaulle airport is utilizing a “hybrid system,” the place some passengers are directed to the brand new EES kiosks whereas others nonetheless go to conventional passport cubicles. Whereas this isn’t but inflicting the type of extreme, multi-hour delays seen elsewhere, a consensus of current traveler stories signifies that the complicated course of can create unpredictable strains. The takeaway for vacationers is that the scenario is fluid; whilst you may get fortunate with a fast entry, it is smart to be ready for a slower and extra disorganized course of than you are used to.
Maintain On, Is This The Similar as ETIAS?
This can be a important level of confusion, so let’s make it easy: No, that is utterly separate from the ETIAS.
What This Means For Your Journey This Fall & Winter
In case you are flying to Europe within the coming months, you could be ready for a brand new and doubtlessly a lot slower arrival expertise.
The Savvy Traveler’s EES Survival Information
The brand new biometric guidelines in Europe are inflicting confusion. Click on under for a 5-step information to navigating the brand new system like a professional.
Step 1 of 5
👆Put together for Biometrics
In your first entry, you may use a kiosk to supply 4 fingerprints and a facial photograph. This replaces the outdated passport stamp.
Step 2 of 5
⏱️Anticipate Delays & Be Affected person
The rollout is inflicting lengthy queues, particularly in Brussels. Arrive affected person and ready for a doubtlessly lengthy wait.
Step 3 of 5
✈️The New 3-Hour Connection Rule
A brief layover is now an enormous danger. The savvy transfer is to permit at the very least three hours for any connection in a Schengen Space airport.
Step 4 of 5
🛂Plan for Your Departure, Too
The EES system additionally applies once you depart the Schengen Space. This implies you could arrive on the airport additional early on your flight dwelling.
Step 5 of 5
💡The “First Time is the Slowest” Professional-Tip
Your biometric knowledge is saved for three years. This implies your first entry would be the slowest, and future journeys must be a lot quicker.
You are Now An EES Professional!
You’ve got received all of the insider tricks to navigate Europe’s new border guidelines with confidence. Completely happy travels!
- Connecting Flights are Dangerous: In case your itinerary has a brief connection, you might be at excessive danger of lacking your subsequent flight. We strongly advise permitting at the very least three hours for any connection in a Schengen zone nation till these points are resolved.
- Be Ready for Biometrics: Know that you can be required to supply your fingerprints and a photograph. Having your passport prepared and following the kiosk directions is the quickest manner via.
- That is The New Regular (For Now): This is not a one-day downside. As extra international locations activate their programs on this complicated, phased rollout, these delays are more likely to turn into extra widespread earlier than they get higher.
Navigating the world of journey guidelines could be a headache, nevertheless it would not should be. To remain on high of this and every other adjustments, the perfect device is our 1 Minute Journey Examine, which supplies you the real-time entry necessities for any vacation spot.
Subscribe To Our Newest Posts
Enter your electronic mail handle to subscribe to Journey Off Path’s newest breaking journey information, straight to your inbox.
