The EU agency eu-LISA on 13 July published its Q1 2026 report on the Entry/Exit System (EES), the biometric database that records every crossing by third-country nationals at Schengen external borders. Although the system is managed at EU level, Germany—Europe’s busiest Schengen hub—accounts for roughly 15 % of data entries, making the findings highly relevant for German border management and carriers. Between January and March 2026 the EES logged 19,985 refusals of entry, 11,885 extensions of authorised stay and 665 revocations. Ukrainians topped the refusal list (4,771 cases) followed by Albanians and Moldovans. The most common reason was ‘purpose and conditions of stay not justified’, underlining the importance of documentary proof for business travellers. The report notes that the system became fully operational at Frankfurt and Munich airports only in mid-February, so German numbers will rise in the Q2 edition. The EES went live in October 2025 and was fully deployed EU-wide by 10 April 2026 after technical glitches delayed the original 2023 launch. German airlines have invested in API interfaces to transmit passenger data directly to the EES carrier portal, avoiding fines of up to €5,000 per passenger for missed scans. For mobility managers the report confirms that travellers aged 20–40 are most frequently refused entry—typically younger assignees on start-up visas who fail to carry employer letters. Companies should update travel-checklists to include automatic proof-of-assignment PDFs and remind employees that children under 12 and persons physically unable to give fingerprints are exempt, a fact often overlooked at manual kiosks. Looking ahead, the Federal Police plan to extend ABC-gate e-Passport functionality to EES enrolment at Hamburg and Berlin by December 2026, promising faster queues. Carriers serving Germany must complete system certification by 30 September 2026.
Source: eu-LISA
