Passengers across Europe are experiencing three-hour border-control waits after the soft launch of the EU Entry/Exit System (EES) on 12 October 2025. The biometric regime, which replaces passport stamping for non-EU visitors, is being phased in at German airports starting with Düsseldorf and Frankfurt. Industry body Airports Council International has warned of a 70 percent increase in processing times and called for an urgent review before full go-live on 10 April 2026.
Frankfurt Airport, Germany’s busiest hub, admits that only one in ten third-country travellers have completed digital registration so far. When that share rises to 35 percent by January, border officers fear bottlenecks will spill into air-side circulation areas. The Federal Police are racing to install additional self-service kiosks and to deploy mobile registration teams that can move between arrival gates during peak waves.
![Early roll-out of EU Entry/Exit System sparks queues; Germany urged to fine-tune deployment]()
For corporate travellers, the immediate advice is to build a minimum 45-minute buffer into flight connections involving non-Schengen arrivals or departures via Germany. Mobility managers should brief assignees on the need to provide fingerprints and a facial scan on first entry and to retain their travel documents until the biometric record is verified.
Airlines, meanwhile, are lobbying Berlin to introduce a voluntary pre-registration portal akin to the US CBP’s Mobile Passport Control app, arguing that advanced data capture could cut desk-side capture times by half. The Interior Ministry has signalled openness to pilot projects but insists data-protection safeguards must first clear parliamentary scrutiny.
Long term, EES promises frictionless travel and more accurate enforcement of the 90/180-day Schengen stay rule. Short term, however, travel-policy teams should warn executives that Christmas-to-Easter itineraries could involve longer queues at German hubs until kinks in the system are ironed out.
Frankfurt Airport, Germany’s busiest hub, admits that only one in ten third-country travellers have completed digital registration so far. When that share rises to 35 percent by January, border officers fear bottlenecks will spill into air-side circulation areas. The Federal Police are racing to install additional self-service kiosks and to deploy mobile registration teams that can move between arrival gates during peak waves.
For corporate travellers, the immediate advice is to build a minimum 45-minute buffer into flight connections involving non-Schengen arrivals or departures via Germany. Mobility managers should brief assignees on the need to provide fingerprints and a facial scan on first entry and to retain their travel documents until the biometric record is verified.
Airlines, meanwhile, are lobbying Berlin to introduce a voluntary pre-registration portal akin to the US CBP’s Mobile Passport Control app, arguing that advanced data capture could cut desk-side capture times by half. The Interior Ministry has signalled openness to pilot projects but insists data-protection safeguards must first clear parliamentary scrutiny.
Long term, EES promises frictionless travel and more accurate enforcement of the 90/180-day Schengen stay rule. Short term, however, travel-policy teams should warn executives that Christmas-to-Easter itineraries could involve longer queues at German hubs until kinks in the system are ironed out.
