Culture news and discussion on TalkFuse.
The European airports where Brits are facing hours-long queues – as EU border check changes hit summer holiday getaway
British holidaymakers are facing lengthy delays at several European airports this summer as the EU's new Entry/Exit System (EES) border checks begin to bite. The digital scheme, which requires non-EU travellers to be fingerprinted and photographed on arrival, is adding significant time to processing at passport control, catching out many Britons unfamiliar with the new procedure during the peak summer getaway period.
Airports across popular holiday destinations have reported queues stretching for hours as staff cope with the additional biometric registration steps required for first-time entries under the system. The changes affect UK travellers specifically because Brexit means they are now treated as third-country nationals when entering the Schengen area, subjecting them to checks that EU citizens do not face, and travel bodies have urged holidaymakers to arrive at airports well ahead of their flights to account for the extra time.
In short
- New EU EES border checks are causing long queues for UK travellers.
- Fingerprinting and photo checks now required for non-EU arrivals.
- Brits advised to allow extra time at European airports this summer.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Proponents of the EES note that enhanced border security for the Schengen area is a legitimate and necessary measure, appropriately applied to all non-EU nationals, including British citizens post-Brexit. The system was publicly announced years in advance, allowing ample preparation time, and some queuing during implementation is inevitable and typically temporary as staff become trained and processes optimise. Travellers can mitigate inconvenience by arriving significantly earlier, and this represents a reasonable public security investment.
The case against
Critics contend that whilst the EES may be justified in principle, its implementation has been inadequately resourced and poorly timed. The EU had years to prepare and failed to invest sufficiently in staffing and infrastructure at borders during peak summer travel season—a preventable oversight. The particular impact on British travellers, only recently reclassified as third-country nationals post-Brexit, is especially burdensome, and the absence of mitigation measures suggests insufficient regard for tourism and travel industries already struggling with post-pandemic recovery.
Explained simply
The European Union has introduced a new digital system called the Entry/Exit System, or EES, which processes all travellers entering the Schengen area – the region covering most EU countries plus some others. The system requires visitors to be fingerprinted and photographed on arrival, adding extra steps to passport control.
British travellers are affected because of Brexit. Since the UK left the European Union, British citizens are no longer treated like EU residents – instead, they are treated like visitors from any country outside the EU and must provide fingerprints and a photo at border control. EU citizens can pass through more quickly without providing these details.
During the summer holiday season, when many Britons travel to popular European destinations, airports have reported queues stretching for hours as staff process the fingerprinting and photography requirements. Travel organisations have advised holidaymakers to arrive at airports much earlier than they might previously have done to account for these increased delays.
Culture Entertainment Europe Travel TV World