Fears of renewed queues for travellers as border-check flexibility rules set to expire
Airlines are calling on the European Commission to extend the pause on EES (Entry/Exit System) in order to avoid long queues returning once more.
Travellers to EU countries could face renewed border queues as flexibility measures for the entry-exit system (EES) are to come to an end.
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Under the European Union's new EES, all non-EU-citizens entering an EU country must first access a machine to provide their biometric information, including fingerprinting, taking a passport scan and having your photo taken.
This data is then stored and kept on file, with travellers verifying their details at a kiosk upon future visits to the EU.
The new system caused significant queues in European airports earlier this year and caused numerous passengers to miss their flights, causing the European Commission to relax EES controls throughout peak summer holiday season.
However, airlines have called on the European Commission to extend the pause at necessary points until the end of 2026, in order to avoid the long queues returning once more.
The current deadline for the EES process to resume is September 6.
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Despite the upcoming deadline, numerous sources have indicated that some member states will not enforce biometric checks.
Although Brussels has not officially extended the discretionary period, it appears that cross-Channel travellers to France will not face changes next week because of technical problems with the EES software.
The technology, commissioned by French authorities, is still not working at the Eurotunnel, Port of Dover or Eurostar at London St Pancras - despite being very expensive for operators to procure.
EES was originally planned to go live in 2022 but has been repeatedly delayed due to various problems - both technical and otherwise.
It was officially launched in October 2025 and was supposed to be fully rolled out within six months.
Dover said it was not expecting any changes next week, with car drivers yet to be subject to EES checks.
A Eurotunnel spokesperson said it was “awaiting confirmation from the French authorities on the timing of this next phase” but was “ready to implement full biometric checks as soon as formal clearance is granted”.
A senior airline source also said that whilst they would be monitoring the situaiton, they did not expect to see full enforcement at busy European airports.
Border officials in main foreign tourist destinations, most notably Greece, appear to have unofficially exempted UK passengers from EES checks to avoid queues, with sources saying they expected the practice to continue.
Luke Petherbridge, the director of public affairs at the UK travel industry trade body Abta, said it was continuing to push the European Commission to allow discretionary suspension of border checks beyond September, “recognising that there is still some way to go until EES is fully and consistently operational across all participating countries”.