EU's Entry/Exit System (EES) and ETIAS implementation failures at European airports
Consensus Summary
The European Union’s Entry/Exit System (EES) and upcoming ETIAS visa waiver program are facing severe implementation challenges during peak travel season in 2026. Both systems, designed to streamline border crossings for visa-exempt travelers from over 60 countries, have encountered major operational issues, including slow fingerprinting processes, software failures, and insufficient staffing. Despite these problems, no EU country has abandoned the EES, though Italy has suspended its use until September 30, 2026, and others like Spain and Portugal have relaxed enforcement. The EES was meant to begin recording biometric data in October 2025, but delays and technical difficulties have left many travelers bypassing the system entirely, instead undergoing traditional passport stamping. The ETIAS system, which relies on EES biometric data for automated processing, remains at risk of further delays, with its scheduled launch in late 2026 already pushed back multiple times since its initial 2016 announcement. The current reality at major European airports, including Rome, Athens, Geneva, and Paris, contrasts sharply with the EU’s vision of seamless, automated border crossings, as millions of travelers face long queues and manual processing this summer.
✓ Verified by 2+ sources
Key details reported by multiple sources:
- The Entry/Exit System (EES) was supposed to begin recording fingerprints and images of non-EU visa-exempt travelers on October 12, 2025, with full implementation by April 10, 2026.
- ETIAS (European Travel Information and Authorisation System) is scheduled for launch in the last quarter of 2026, following multiple delays since its initial 2016 announcement.
- Italy is the only country to fully suspend EES implementation until September 30, 2026, while Spain and Portugal have relaxed enforcement during peak periods.
- The EES was designed to record biometric data (fingerprints and images) of non-EU travelers from over 60 visa-exempt countries, including Australia, Britain, the US, and Canada.
- Fingerprinting at EES kiosks is slow and problematic, with first-time registrations taking several minutes per traveler, leading to bottlenecks at busy airports like Rome’s Fiumicino, Athens, Geneva, and Paris.
- EU countries recorded 793 million international tourist arrivals in 2025, many from visa-exempt countries, overwhelming the EES system during peak season.
- ETIAS requires biometric data from the EES for automated processing, meaning unreliable EES data could hinder ETIAS functionality upon launch.
- The author experienced no issues with EES at Rome’s Fiumicino Airport on May 18, 2026, as kiosks were roped off and manual passport stamping was used instead.
Points of Difference
Details reported by only one source:
- The EES and ETIAS are part of the broader EU border modernisation project called Smart Borders.
- ETIAS is compared to Australia’s ESTA visa waiver system for US travelers.
- The author noted that EES kiosks were installed along the walls of Fiumicino’s Terminal 1 but were roped off.
Contradictions
Conflicting information between sources:
- No contradictions found between the two sources.
Source Articles
I had no issues with Europe’s disastrous new entry system – I skipped it
I wasn’t looking forward to landing in Rome last week, having heard reports of three-hour waits at immigration due to Europe’s botched rollout of its new digital entry system.
I had no issues with Europe’s disastrous new entry system – I skipped it
I wasn’t looking forward to landing in Rome last week, having heard reports of three-hour waits at immigration due to Europe’s botched rollout of its new digital entry system.