The European Commission confirmed on 7 July that Schengen member states—including Belgium—may continue to invoke a flexibility clause that lets border authorities waive the collection of travellers’ fingerprints and facial images during peak periods until 30 September 2026. The concession applies only to biometrics; officers must still record travellers’ passport data in the Entry/Exit System (EES) to ensure overstays can be detected. Commission sources stressed that a “total suspension” of the system is neither legally possible nor justified, rebutting calls from airlines to postpone EES for a full year. Brussels says no member state has formally requested an extension beyond the summer and expects airports to use the grace period to fix staffing and IT bottlenecks. Belgium’s federal police have already used the clause during recent holiday weekends, arguing that fingerprint scanners doubled transaction times at Zaventem. The option to skip biometrics helped keep queues under 30 minutes, but critics say the stop-start approach risks confusing travellers.
![EU allows partial suspension of biometric capture under Entry/Exit System until end of summer]()
At times like these, VisaHQ can prove invaluable. The company’s Belgium portal tracks real-time border policy updates and offers step-by-step visa and travel document support, so HR teams and individual travellers can confirm whether biometrics will be required and gather all the paperwork they need before departure.
For mobility managers the takeaway is that non-EU assignees arriving in Belgium may or may not be asked for fingerprints depending on traffic levels. HR teams should prepare employees for both scenarios and remind them that once biometrics are captured they will not need to repeat the process for three years. The Commission will review queuing data after the summer. A permanent amendment to the EES Regulation would require the agreement of the European Parliament and Council, so travellers should expect the full biometric regime to resume for the Christmas travel peak.
At times like these, VisaHQ can prove invaluable. The company’s Belgium portal tracks real-time border policy updates and offers step-by-step visa and travel document support, so HR teams and individual travellers can confirm whether biometrics will be required and gather all the paperwork they need before departure.
For mobility managers the takeaway is that non-EU assignees arriving in Belgium may or may not be asked for fingerprints depending on traffic levels. HR teams should prepare employees for both scenarios and remind them that once biometrics are captured they will not need to repeat the process for three years. The Commission will review queuing data after the summer. A permanent amendment to the EES Regulation would require the agreement of the European Parliament and Council, so travellers should expect the full biometric regime to resume for the Christmas travel peak.
