EU Border System Triples Passport Check Time

Sun Sep 06 2026 08:05:11 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

UK travellers face longer waits at EU airports as the new Entry Exit System causes delays and bugs.

The EU's new Entry Exit System (EES) is turning passport checks into a marathon, especially for UK passengers, as waits at airports like Rome's Fiumicino stretch from minutes to hours. Air‑liner Ryanair warns travellers to allow extra time, while airport officials like Ivan Bassato say the system’s complexity has tripled processing time from 7 to 20 minutes. Some airports still see queues of an hour or more, and the software has glitches that ripple across all member states. Despite expensive new kiosks, better tech integration and more pre‑registration apps are needed to fix the bottleneck.

EU Border System Triples Passport Check Time

If you’re a UK traveller heading to a European country, you might be stuck waiting at the border. The European Union’s new Entry Exit System (EES) is turning passport control into a waiting line marathon, especially in airports like Rome’s Fiumicino.

People queueing through the passport control system at Rome’s Fiumicino airport — People queue to use the Entry Exit System after landing in Rome.

The system requires non‑EU travellers to get a fingerprint and a face scan on arrival, and these details are checked again on exit. While the aim is smarter borders, the rollout has led to queues that can last 45‑minutes to an hour, and sometimes even two.

Ryanair has warned passengers to "allow extra time for their journey", following reports that the EES rollout caused delays and long lines. On paper, the new tech could cut the process to a handful of minutes, but the reality is quite different. In Rome, the airport’s Chief Aviation Officer Ivan Bassato says the average wait for a UK citizen has risen from 7 minutes to 20 minutes.

What’s happening? The EES uses a mix of automated kiosks and border‑gate cameras. In some airports, the same steps are repeated at two different points, creating duplication. Bassato says removing that duplication would speed things up.

A hidden problem is the system’s bugs. In Portugal, border police at Faro airport said a ten‑minute queue could balloon to 30 minutes when a server glitch hits, and that the entire EU network can go down if something goes wrong in Warsaw.

Airports and airlines are pleading for a temporary freeze of the EES during rush seasons, but the European Commission said they can only support the current rollout. Some countries, like Sweden and Portugal, have started using the EU pre‑registration app – obtaining biometric data online before departure – but it’s still only used by a handful. The tech needs to be fixed and streamlined for the system to live up to its promise.

In the meantime, travellers can use the self‑service e‑gates that now allow UK citizens to bypass the kiosks, but children under 12 still have to go to a border officer. If you’re heading to the EU for a holiday this summer, set out early, use the airports’ apps for pre‑check where possible, and keep an eye on that queue – times can change on a moment’s notice.

Pro tip: Play the new “Passport Challenge” game on SnapScope. Try to make it through the virtual queue in real time to win points and bragging rights.