In an interview published on 23 June 2026 by ETIAS Pro, Frontex deputy executive director Uku Särekanno delivered a stark assessment of the new EU Entry/Exit System (EES): “First-time biometric enrolment is the hardest part of the rollout and queues could last one to two years until repeat travellers dominate the flow.” The EES—fully operational at every Spanish airport, seaport and land frontier since April—records fingerprints and facial images for all non-EU short-stay visitors, replacing passport stamps. While Madrid-Barajas processed more than 30,000 enrolments a day without major incident over Easter, summer traffic has already pushed waiting times above 90 minutes at several Schengen ‘smart-border’ gates in Barcelona and Málaga.
![Frontex Warns Spain-Bound Travellers: Entry/Exit System Queues May Persist for Two Years]()
For travellers and mobility managers who want extra certainty before departure, VisaHQ can streamline the paperwork side of the journey. The company’s Spain resource hub (https://www.visahq.com/spain/) offers real-time visa guidance, appointment booking and document-tracking tools that sync neatly with the new EES rules, helping businesses and individuals avoid last-minute surprises at the border.
Särekanno confirmed that the grace period allowing member states to suspend the system during spikes expires in September and “no extension is planned.” That means Spain cannot legally switch the machines off over the busy October World Cup qualifiers or the Christmas rush. Airlines and handling agents must instead stagger arrivals and add staff to shepherd passengers through the kiosks. For global mobility teams, the warning translates into concrete actions: build longer connection windows into itineraries, pre-brief travellers on fingerprint and facial capture, and consider using Madrid or Bilbao—airports reporting slightly shorter lines—over Barcelona until throughput improves. Employers moving talent under Spain’s Digital Nomad or Highly-Qualified Professional permits should remind assignees that leaving the Schengen Area resets the 90/180-day clock now calculated automatically by EES. On the technology side, Spain’s Interior Ministry says it will double the number of self-service kiosks at Barajas Terminal 4 S by November and pilot a “family lane” that links children’s records to a parent’s scan. Yet Frontex’s prognosis suggests that business travellers should prepare for a prolonged bedding-in period—reminiscent of the early days of automated passport e-gates a decade ago.
For travellers and mobility managers who want extra certainty before departure, VisaHQ can streamline the paperwork side of the journey. The company’s Spain resource hub (https://www.visahq.com/spain/) offers real-time visa guidance, appointment booking and document-tracking tools that sync neatly with the new EES rules, helping businesses and individuals avoid last-minute surprises at the border.
Särekanno confirmed that the grace period allowing member states to suspend the system during spikes expires in September and “no extension is planned.” That means Spain cannot legally switch the machines off over the busy October World Cup qualifiers or the Christmas rush. Airlines and handling agents must instead stagger arrivals and add staff to shepherd passengers through the kiosks. For global mobility teams, the warning translates into concrete actions: build longer connection windows into itineraries, pre-brief travellers on fingerprint and facial capture, and consider using Madrid or Bilbao—airports reporting slightly shorter lines—over Barcelona until throughput improves. Employers moving talent under Spain’s Digital Nomad or Highly-Qualified Professional permits should remind assignees that leaving the Schengen Area resets the 90/180-day clock now calculated automatically by EES. On the technology side, Spain’s Interior Ministry says it will double the number of self-service kiosks at Barajas Terminal 4 S by November and pilot a “family lane” that links children’s records to a parent’s scan. Yet Frontex’s prognosis suggests that business travellers should prepare for a prolonged bedding-in period—reminiscent of the early days of automated passport e-gates a decade ago.
