Passengers across Europe are experiencing three-hour border-control waits after the soft launch of the EU Entry/Exit System (EES) on 12 October 2025. The biometric regime, which replaces passport stamping for non-EU visitors, is being phased in at German airports starting with Düsseldorf and Frankfurt. Industry body Airports Council International has warned of a 70 percent increase in processing times and called for an urgent review before full go-live on 10 April 2026.
Frankfurt Airport, Germany’s busiest hub, admits that only one in ten third-country travellers have completed digital registration so far. When that share rises to 35 percent by January, border officers fear bottlenecks will spill into air-side circulation areas. The Federal Police are racing to install additional self-service kiosks and to deploy mobile registration teams that can move between arrival gates during peak waves.
For corporate travellers, the immediate advice is to build a minimum 45-minute buffer into flight connections involving non-Schengen arrivals or departures via Germany. Mobility managers should brief assignees on the need to provide fingerprints and a facial scan on first entry and to retain their travel documents until the biometric record is verified.
![Early roll-out of EU Entry/Exit System sparks queues; Germany urged to fine-tune deployment]()
To ease some of that administrative burden, travellers and mobility teams can lean on VisaHQ’s online platform to verify entry requirements, track Schengen stay limits, and pre-arrange supporting documents before arriving at the kiosk. The company’s Germany portal (https://www.visahq.com/germany/) consolidates up-to-date guidance on EES, visas and work permits and offers expedited processing services that help minimise last-minute surprises at the border.
Airlines, meanwhile, are lobbying Berlin to introduce a voluntary pre-registration portal akin to the US CBP’s Mobile Passport Control app, arguing that advanced data capture could cut desk-side capture times by half. The Interior Ministry has signalled openness to pilot projects but insists data-protection safeguards must first clear parliamentary scrutiny.
Long term, EES promises frictionless travel and more accurate enforcement of the 90/180-day Schengen stay rule. Short term, however, travel-policy teams should warn executives that Christmas-to-Easter itineraries could involve longer queues at German hubs until kinks in the system are ironed out.
Frankfurt Airport, Germany’s busiest hub, admits that only one in ten third-country travellers have completed digital registration so far. When that share rises to 35 percent by January, border officers fear bottlenecks will spill into air-side circulation areas. The Federal Police are racing to install additional self-service kiosks and to deploy mobile registration teams that can move between arrival gates during peak waves.
For corporate travellers, the immediate advice is to build a minimum 45-minute buffer into flight connections involving non-Schengen arrivals or departures via Germany. Mobility managers should brief assignees on the need to provide fingerprints and a facial scan on first entry and to retain their travel documents until the biometric record is verified.
To ease some of that administrative burden, travellers and mobility teams can lean on VisaHQ’s online platform to verify entry requirements, track Schengen stay limits, and pre-arrange supporting documents before arriving at the kiosk. The company’s Germany portal (https://www.visahq.com/germany/) consolidates up-to-date guidance on EES, visas and work permits and offers expedited processing services that help minimise last-minute surprises at the border.
Airlines, meanwhile, are lobbying Berlin to introduce a voluntary pre-registration portal akin to the US CBP’s Mobile Passport Control app, arguing that advanced data capture could cut desk-side capture times by half. The Interior Ministry has signalled openness to pilot projects but insists data-protection safeguards must first clear parliamentary scrutiny.
Long term, EES promises frictionless travel and more accurate enforcement of the 90/180-day Schengen stay rule. Short term, however, travel-policy teams should warn executives that Christmas-to-Easter itineraries could involve longer queues at German hubs until kinks in the system are ironed out.
