Brits could face a fresh wave of airport chaos when new restrictions kick in for travel to parts of Europe, unless officials introduce further delays. The European Union's (EU) Entry/Exit System (EES), which was fully implemented across airports on April 10, 2026, has already caused significant travel disruption, with reports of grueling queues of up to four hours and missed flights as Brits needed to create a digital record and register their biometric details, such as fingerprints and a photograph, on arrival in a Schengen area.
Eased Measures Set to Expire
Thankfully, some restrictions were eased, and member states, including France, Portugal and Spain, were given the option to temporarily "lift biometric registration" until the end of summer to ensure there is "some relief for the worst-case scenario". Greece was one of the countries that opted to waive the EU requirement for Brits to provide fingerprints and facial scans at airport border control.
However, any flexibility that has been in place for the EES, or that is still in effect, could come to an end. According to Frontex, the offer of eased measures for the digital border system is set to expire on Sunday, 6 September, potentially leading to longer airport queues and travel disruptions.
Calls for Extension
There have been calls to extend the full rollout of the EES beyond 6 September, for fear it could spark further airport chaos, even though it comes after the summer holidays. According to The Times, Apostolos Tzitzikostas, European commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism, has privately reassured that the EES checks could still be paused after the current 6 September deadline, when needed. It's also been reported that Apostolos has also made similar assurances to the UK, indicating that an extension of the flexibility could be possible, following a meeting with British Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander.
"We want everyone to have the summer holidays they deserve – and yesterday’s meeting shows everyone is pulling in the same direction," Heidi said following the meeting on 14 July. "I was reassured that the EU commissioner for transport understood the concerns of holidaymakers and recognised the need for us to work together."
How EES Works
The new digital border system is required for the initial arrival at an airport border within the Schengen zone and replaces the traditional manual passport-stamping process. Once the first registration has been completed, the EES remains valid for three years.
Countries within the Schengen area include: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland. The EES system is not required for travel to the Republic of Ireland or Cyprus, as neither country is part of the Schengen area.
