Brits could face a fresh wave of disruption when travelling to Europe as a major rule is set to take effect this week.
After the European Union‘s (EU) Entry/Exit System (EES) was introduced at airports across the EU earlier this year, there were reports of various problems. Brits found themselves in queues of up to four hours and missed flights, with elderly travellers finding it difficult to pass through due to worn fingerprints, and others having difficulty capturing their images when trying to use the new digital system.
In an attempt to reduce travel disruption, particularly throughout the school holidays, certain EES restrictions were permitted to be eased by member states. European nations such as 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”, and temporarily deactivated the EES when required.
Air France-KLM told local news publication, Politico: “When lines form during the busy summer months, the system is shut off to ensure smooth transit at our hubs in Paris and Amsterdam.” Euronews has also reported that Brussels, Frankfurt, and Milan have turned the system off during periods of high passenger volume.
However, from Sunday, 6 September, this is expected to come to an end, meaning there will be no leeway for Brits travelling into the EU and through the EES from Monday, 7 September, with no exceptions. Uku Särekanno, deputy executive director of Frontex, which helps to manage the external borders of the EU, said in June: “We have until the end of the summer, the possibility during the tourism season to lift the biometric controls or the biometric registration temporarily”.
The relaxed measures for the digital border system are set to expire on Sunday, 6 September, with no plans to extend them. Nevertheless, there have been calls to prolong the eased measures beyond this date amid concerns they could spark further chaos at airports.
According to The Times, Apostolos Tzitzikostas, European commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism, privately gave assurances that EES checks could still be suspended after the current 6 September deadline, where necessary. It has also been reported that Apostolos suggested that an extension of the flexibility remains a possibility, following a meeting with British Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander, who said she was reassured that he “understood the concerns of holidaymakers”.
At present, no official confirmation of a postponement has been made, with holidaymakers preparing for the alteration, which could potentially result in additional airport disruption, even beyond the summer break. Brits travelling to Europe from 7 September onwards have been urged to allow themselves ample time when passing through border control at their destination.
The EES was fully rolled out across European airports on 10 April, 2026, and requires all British passport holders to create a digital record and register their biometric information, such as fingerprints and a photograph, when entering the Schengen zone. The nations within the Schengen zone, which mandate Brits to use the EES, 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.
This story originally appeared on Express.co.uk
