What’s happening with EES border delays?

EES: why travelers may see longer border queues

Travel guidance has highlighted that the EU’s Entry Exit System (EES) is expected to cause significant processing delays for incoming travelers. The timing is important: as the system rolls out, border procedures shift away from older workflows and require additional steps to validate entries, which can slow down throughput at airports and land crossings.

What’s been warned

• Queues could last for months or even up to years. One report warns that British travelers may face delays for as long as two years.
• Delays could be substantial at busy points in the travel year. Another warning describes airport queues up to six hours this summer.

Why it matters for trip planning

If you’re traveling through Europe and your itinerary includes Schengen entry, you should plan as if:

• Border time will be less predictable than in the past
• Last-minute connections become riskier (especially short layovers)
• Arrivals during peak periods (weekends, holidays, summer months) will be the most affected

Practical steps

To reduce the impact:

• Build buffer time between landing and any onward travel
• Avoid tight connections through airports that may funnel travelers into new processing lines
• Arrive earlier than usual and keep documentation accessible

The core issue is that the new system can temporarily reduce border processing capacity. For travelers, that’s less about paperwork changes and more about adding time to your travel day.