ER Editor: The newly-implemented EU entry-exit system, requiring biometric ID for international travellers (facial recognition and fingerprint scans created on the spot), sounds like a failure on just about every level.
As The Guardian article indicates below, Greece is refusing to implement this new system, presumably eager to protect its UK tourist trade (Ireland hasn’t opted into the system). From April 21 —
Athens faces showdown with EU as Greece drops biometrics for British visitors
For a decade, the European Union has been working towards 100 per cent “digital borders”. The deadline for all Schengen area frontiers to collect biometrics from every third-country national under the EU entry-exit system was 10 April.
While some countries are fully compliant with the EES, Greece stunned the travel industry by announcing that British visitors will be exempt from providing fingerprints and facial biometrics this summer.
The Greek Embassy in London announced on social media: “British passport holders are excluded from biometric registration at Greek border crossing points.”
Long queues for passport control in Italy, Spain and elsewhere have led to some travellers missing homebound flights.
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EU entry-exit system kiosks installed at Athens airport may be used by other third-country nationals, such as Americans and Australians, but will not be open to British travellers.
#EU entry-exit
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‘Nightmare’ queues and missed flights: readers report turbulent start to EU entry-exit system
Some travellers spent hours in lines at airport, with kiosks not working, little seating and few staff on hand to help
ALFIE PACKHAM & NICOLA SLAWSON for THE GUARDIAN
Some travellers passing through the new EU entry-exit system (EES) have faced huge delays at border checks, with some waiting for up to three hours, airports say.
The new rules have gradually been introduced in Europe since October 2025, and came into effect on Friday in the Schengen countries – 25 of the EU’s 27 states plus Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein and Switzerland.
Hundreds of people responded to a Guardian online callout to share their experiences of travelling to Europe since the rules came into effect. Though some said they had a problem-free journey, many reported severe delays, which have caused some to miss their flights.
Travellers described problems with fingerprints not being accepted and additional delays when travelling with children. Many said there was little guidance on using the kiosks. Some also said they had to repeat the registration process on each leg of their journey, despite having already completed it, with no explanations from staff – or no staff available to ask.
Dave Giles, 47, an IT manager from Raunds in Northamptonshire, missed his flight home on 12 April from Copenhagen, where he had been to a music festival with his family, after being caught in long queues at passport control despite arriving hours early.
“When they called the gate and we got down towards passport control, there was a queue of probably 80 to 100 people in front of us and only three kiosks checking passports,” he said. “Before long, one of those closed.”
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Giles said he did not expect to see that money again. “Insurance won’t touch it. The airline said it wasn’t their fault,” he said, adding that he had emailed the airport. “I’d be surprised to get a reply from anybody.”
Georgia, from London, experienced a four-hour delay on arrival at Pisa airport on 10 April. “There were no staff in sight to advise on waiting times,” she said.
For Georgia, who is five months pregnant, it was an arduous wait. “There were people with infants but no special assistance available, or any seating. People in the back of the queue became very hot, stuck in a windowless corridor for hours.
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Other travellers said the self-service kiosks meant to be used to process their registrations had been either not yet in use or not working.
Dylan Thomas, 23, an HR associate from Lincolnshire, experienced delays using the system on two recent trips. He said there had been a two-hour wait on arrival in Madeira on 15 March and on his return journey from a solo trip to Brussels on the Eurostar on 6 April.
“It was ridiculous,” he said. “There must have been about 20 machines, but they all had plastic wrapping on them and couldn’t be used … There was only one person manually checking everyone.”
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“They had a system where they herd non-EU passport holders into an area with glass partition walls. There’s not enough seats. You’ve got a lot of elderly people standing, with no toilet facilities. If you do have to go to one of the toilets in the other area, you get searched again. It really is a mess.”
He added: “The airlines seem to have abdicated any responsibility. They just said: it’s your job to get to the gate.”
“I think the overriding thing is it’s inconsistent,. You’ve got no idea what’s going to happen when you hit these airports.”
CONTINUE READING HERE
Featured image source: https://www.theguardian.com/money/2026/apr/01/delayed-by-eu-entry-exit-system-then-travel-light
Featured image source: https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/eu-entry-exit-system-chaos-milan-airport-1791669
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Published to The Liberty Beacon from EuropeReloaded.com
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