Barely three months after France switched on the EU’s new Entry/Exit System (EES) at all external Schengen borders, passenger queues are dominating headlines—and balance-sheets. On 3 July 2026 Commission President Ursula von der Leyen admitted there is “still a lot to do” to stabilise the €1.3 billion biometric border programme, following reports of five-hour waits at major hubs including Paris Charles-de-Gaulle and Marseille Provence.
![European Commission concedes problems with new Entry/Exit System as queues stretch at French airports]()
Before travellers even reach the airport, VisaHQ can help them navigate France’s evolving border requirements by securing the correct visas, reviewing passport validity and now providing step-by-step guidance on EES and forthcoming ETIAS registration. Its online platform consolidates the latest French and Schengen entry rules and offers 24/7 support, giving corporates and leisure passengers a chance to minimise surprises at the kiosk.
EES replaces passport stamping for non-EU travellers with a digital record of fingerprints, facial image and travel history. The concept is simple; the rollout is not. Airlines and airports complain that first-time enrolment extends processing time from 20 seconds to up to 90 seconds per passenger, a multiplication that overwhelms booths during the morning trans-Atlantic bank. A joint letter from ACI Europe and IATA warns that CDG alone could see daily queues of 40,000 passengers if corrective action is not taken before the late-July peak. French border police (PAF) have responded by flexing contingency rules that allow temporary suspension of fingerprint capture when wait times exceed 60 minutes, but staff unions say they are already working maximum overtime. Airports de Paris has installed an extra 84 self-service kiosks since May, yet figures released this week show non-EU processing capacity is still 18 % below requirement for summer peaks. For corporates the impact is twofold: longer door-to-door travel times for executives and missed connections that trigger re-booking fees and lost productivity. Travel-management companies now advise arriving in Europe at least one hour earlier than pre-EES guidelines and caution against layovers under two hours when the first point of entry is in France. Tour operators report some US clients are postponing discretionary trips until ETIAS (the electronic travel authorisation now due Q4 2026) and EES “bed-in” fully. The Commission says it is working with member states to patch software flaws, harmonise kiosk user-interfaces and fund an extra 500 Frontex liaison officers. France’s interior ministry, for its part, confirmed a task-force with ADP and SNCF Gares & Connexions to integrate EES kiosks at Eurostar and Thalys terminals before Christmas, aiming to avoid a repeat of last Easter’s rail-terminal gridlock. In the meantime, travellers should budget more time—and patience—when flying through France.
Before travellers even reach the airport, VisaHQ can help them navigate France’s evolving border requirements by securing the correct visas, reviewing passport validity and now providing step-by-step guidance on EES and forthcoming ETIAS registration. Its online platform consolidates the latest French and Schengen entry rules and offers 24/7 support, giving corporates and leisure passengers a chance to minimise surprises at the kiosk.
EES replaces passport stamping for non-EU travellers with a digital record of fingerprints, facial image and travel history. The concept is simple; the rollout is not. Airlines and airports complain that first-time enrolment extends processing time from 20 seconds to up to 90 seconds per passenger, a multiplication that overwhelms booths during the morning trans-Atlantic bank. A joint letter from ACI Europe and IATA warns that CDG alone could see daily queues of 40,000 passengers if corrective action is not taken before the late-July peak. French border police (PAF) have responded by flexing contingency rules that allow temporary suspension of fingerprint capture when wait times exceed 60 minutes, but staff unions say they are already working maximum overtime. Airports de Paris has installed an extra 84 self-service kiosks since May, yet figures released this week show non-EU processing capacity is still 18 % below requirement for summer peaks. For corporates the impact is twofold: longer door-to-door travel times for executives and missed connections that trigger re-booking fees and lost productivity. Travel-management companies now advise arriving in Europe at least one hour earlier than pre-EES guidelines and caution against layovers under two hours when the first point of entry is in France. Tour operators report some US clients are postponing discretionary trips until ETIAS (the electronic travel authorisation now due Q4 2026) and EES “bed-in” fully. The Commission says it is working with member states to patch software flaws, harmonise kiosk user-interfaces and fund an extra 500 Frontex liaison officers. France’s interior ministry, for its part, confirmed a task-force with ADP and SNCF Gares & Connexions to integrate EES kiosks at Eurostar and Thalys terminals before Christmas, aiming to avoid a repeat of last Easter’s rail-terminal gridlock. In the meantime, travellers should budget more time—and patience—when flying through France.
