Two more airports could ditch the need for Brits to register their biometric details when entering the Schengen area in the hope of avoiding ‘disaster’ this summer
Two more airports could scrap the Entry/Exit System (EES) for Brits amid summer concerns(Image: Getty Images)
The EU’s new travel rules have caused growing concerns for the peak travel season, prompting a number of destinations to look at options to waive them for holidaymakers.
The European Union’s (EU) Entry/Exit System (EES) was fully rolled out on 10 April 2026, requiring all Brits heading to the Schengen area to “create a digital record” and register their biometric details, including fingerprints and a photograph. While it’s been successful in many countries, it continues to cause significant travel disruption at European airports.
There have been reports of Brits being asked to submit their biometric information again, despite having already provided it on their first visit to the Schengen zone. Holidaymakers have also been stuck in gruelling queues lasting up to four hours as they attempt to navigate the digital border system, with missed flights and ruined holiday plans.
In an attempt to ease the travel chaos, particularly during peak travel times, Greece opted to waive the EU requirement for Brits to provide fingerprints and facial scans at airport border controls earlier this year. In an official statement, the Greek Embassy confirmed: “In the framework of the implementation of the Entry/Exit System, as of 10 April 2026, British passport holders are exempt from biometric registration at Greek border crossing points.”
Now, it appears that Rome Fiumicino Airport and Rome Ciampino Airport could join Greece in waiving the EU requirements in a bid to avoid “disaster” during the peak summer travel months.
Aeroporti di Roma Chief Executive Officer Marco Troncone told the Financial Times, “We are very worried for the summer”, and said his concerns were an “eight or nine” out of 10. He added: “The process proves to be incompatible with the peak volumes that we are going to face. So the only way is to open up the valve. There is no way that we can deliver 100% of the enrolment.”
While Rome is yet to make such a change, Greece remains the only country to have officially eased the EU requirements for British travellers. However, an EU official has indicated that European airports could relax EES requirements until September this year.
Uku Särekanno, Deputy Executive Director of Frontex, which helps to manage the external borders of the EU, said earlier this month: “We have until the end of the summer, the possibility during the tourism season to lift the biometric controls or the biometric registration temporarily.
“If there is a peak hour, you see that there are hundreds of people queuing, their queues are getting too long, then member states still have the possibility to lift biometric registration. The EU has considered, for the period of summer, to make sure that there is still some relief for the worst-case scenario.”
The new digital border system is required for the initial arrival at the airport border within the Schengen zone and has replaced the traditional manual passport-stamping process. Once the initial registration is complete, the EES remains valid for three years.
Countries in the Schengen area include: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland. Meanwhile, the EES system is not needed for travel to the Republic of Ireland and Cyprus, as neither falls within the Schengen area.
The Foreign Office confirmed the EES change for Greece on its travel advice page. It read: “Greek authorities have indicated that they will not collect biometric data (fingerprints and photos) for UK travellers as part of EES. Follow the advice of authorities on the ground. If you are resident in Greece, make sure to show your residence documentation at passport control to ensure you are not registered in EES.”
Some of the major mainland airports in Greece include: the International Airport of Athens, Thessaloniki International Airport, Kalamata International Airport and Aktion National Airport. Meanwhile, those on the islands include Corfu International Airport, Kefalonia International Airport and Zakynthos International Airport.
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