Twenty-five days into the roll-out of the European Union’s entry-exit system (EES), travellers are reporting teething problems with the digital borders scheme.
In addition, implementation is happening more slowly that originally envisaged, with the Port of Dover’s plan for car drivers to provide biometrics postponed indefinitely from the proposed start date of 1 November 2025.
During the six-month roll-out, non-EU citizens must also go through the existing analogue passport examination and stamping – doubling the amount of red tape and adding to queues.
Unless problems are ironed out, it is possible that some of the strict milestones required by Brussels for the EES timetable may not be met.
Read more: I am travelling to the EU. What has changed with the entry-exit system?
What’s happening with EES?
Since 12 October 2025, British passport holders – as well as other “third-country nationals”, from the US, Canada, Australia and elsewhere – are potentially subject to the European Union’s entry-exit system (EES).
The EES requires travellers to provide fingerprints and facial biometrics on “first contact” with the system at a Schengen area crossing point. This zone comprises the EU plus Iceland, Norway and Switzerland, minus Ireland and Cyprus.
The Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs of the European Commission says: “The EES provides national authorities with real-time information on who enters the EU and when, marking a significant step in modernising and strengthening the security of the EU's borders.
“The EES will help track who comes in and out of the Schengen Area, using fingerprint and face data to stop people from overstaying, using fake identities or misusing visa-free travel [and] give border officers and law enforcement authorities access to important traveller information, helping them to spot security risks and support the fight against serious crimes and terrorism.”
What’s the story at Dover?
The Port of Dover is one of three locations in the UK where border formalities for travellers to France and beyond are “juxtaposed”. Outbound travellers are required to cross the Schengen area border while still in Kent. Because of constraints of space, the biometric registration takes place a mile away from the main frontier at Eastern Docks.
While coaches and trucks are subject to the EES, plans to extend this to all private cars on 1 November, were suspended. Doug Bannister, chief executive of the Port of Dover, said: “Following the successful go-live for coaches and freight on 12 October, we continue to work closely with our French technology provider and border authorities towards starting the EES process for car passengers.”
While the port facilities were ready for 1 November, he said, “we are being guided by French authorities as to when we will activate”.
The Independent understands there have been concerns about how well the Police aux Frontieres (PAF) system is working. Meanwhile the port has asked for a minimum of two week’s notice of the start, to warn travellers and put signage in place.
The two other juxtaposed crossing points are the Eurotunnel terminal at Folkestone in Kent, and the Eurostar terminal at London St Pancras International. Neither has a fixed date for rolling out EES for all travellers.
A spokesperson for Eurotunnel told The Independent: “The initial stage is now live and applies to coach and freight traffic only. The process is managed directly at the border by PAF (French border police) with whom we work closely. It is running smoothly, quickly and efficiently for our lorry drivers and coach passengers.
“For tourist vehicles, the timing of the EES launch is determined by the authorities. Discussions with the French authorities are ongoing. We will inform you as soon as the date for launching Eurotunnel’s EES pre-registration zones for passenger vehicles is confirmed.”
A Eurostar spokesperson said: “The rollout of EES is progressing successfully, with enrolments already exceeding the EU’s required 10 per cent threshold. We’re working collaboratively with border authorities to expand capacity in a measured way, ensuring a consistent experience for all customers.”
What about those pesky questions about travel insurance?
My understanding is that most travellers are answering the travel insurance question affirmatively in the same way that they confirm that they have read all the terms and conditions for using wifi at a transport terminal – even though no one has ever done so. Officials do not seem to be checking.
Where else is EES in operation, and how is it working?
The biggest airport to go 100 per cent EES-compliant from day one is Prague. Shortly afterwards, Natalie Wilson, senior travel writer for The Independent, flew in to the Czech capital. She reports that it was not clear that passengers are supposed to register at kiosks in the airport before approaching passport control.
In common with many other airports, Prague has dozens of kiosks in the arrivals area before passport control where incoming passengers are expected to register.
“Although I spent just one minute at an EES kiosk in Prague, my speedy registration meant nothing in the queue for non-EU passports at border control,” she writes. “All travellers who had not made a pit stop for biometric scanning were manually taken through the process – around three minutes per person – by a human at the desk, causing lengthy queues.”
Dr Nick Brown, the data sleuth who has provided The Independent with entry-exit system insights, says: “People who have just got off a flight are typically not at their most attentive, I think. For a variety of reasons. So they rely on the system making them do stuff.
“They won't stop at a kiosk unless the layout forces them to. And it's hard to force them to the kiosks because they maybe don't need to use one.”
At Dusseldorf airport, the first frontier point chosen by Germany, some long queues have been reported. This may be due to the need to be fingerprinted twice. According to the airport, even after passengers have registered face and fingerprints at a kiosk, once at passport control “the border guard examines your passport and scans your fingerprints again”.
I have heard reports of long waits at Paris CDG, with an impact on connections within the Schengen area. Some onward European flights have been departing (according to one traveller) “half-full” because of EES hold-ups.
Were this to happen to you, the airline should rebook you on the first available flight and provide accommodation if necessary.
Many reports suggest queues are sometimes extremely long even when no biometric checks are in place. Katie Genter, of The Points Guy frequent flyer website, reports she nearly missed a flight at Brussels – but simply because of limited resources on the analogue passport check and stamping.
What’s the schedule for the rollout of EES from now onwards?
For the first six months it will not be mandatory for countries to collect data at every frontier nor from every traveller.
I predict that many locations will wait until after the festive season to implement EES. Ski airports may defer it as long as possible.
But there is a timeline of milestones that Schengen area member states are expected to respect.
9 November 2025: One in 10 border crossings must be registered in the EES – though for a further 30 days member states don’t need to collect biometric data. All they need do is transmit to the central database that an individual has crossed the Schengen frontier, without supplying a biometric.
9 December 2025: Biometrics are mandatory for all third-country nationals registered with the EES.
8 January 2026: Half of crossing points must be operating the EES, and at least 35 per cent of the estimated number of border crossings for each member state must be registered.
9 March 2026: All frontiers points must be EES-compliant, and at least half the crossings by third-country nationals must be registered.
29 March 2026: Complete EES registration for all third-country nationals – with a further 10 days of grace allowed.
What if queues get too long next summer?
In the first 90 days after the roll-out, there is scope for suspending the EES.
The rules say: “Member states may fully or partially suspend the operations of the EES at certain border crossing points in the case of failure of the EES Central System, of national systems or of communication infrastructure that significantly disrupts the operations of the EES, or in exceptional circumstances that lead to traffic of such intensity that the waiting time at a border crossing point becomes excessive.”
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