Two months into the EU-wide roll-out of the biometric Entry/Exit System (EES), Airports Council International Europe is warning of wait times of up to three hours at some hubs. Although Austrian airports have avoided headline chaos so far, the registration quota for third-country nationals will jump from 10 % to 35 % on 9 January and then to 100 % by April 2026. Vienna has redeployed 60 security officers to immigration booths and installed 24 new kiosks; Salzburg and Innsbruck have set up overflow lanes and issued passenger advisories to arrive 45 minutes earlier.
Airlines such as Austrian and Ryanair have retimed certain wave-bank departures to preserve minimum connections, while Qatar Airways has shifted its late-night Doha service forward by 20 minutes. Business travellers are especially exposed because premium-lane capacity is limited: several relocation firms report missed residence-permit appointments when clients were stuck in immigration queues.
![Biometric Entry/Exit System Triggers Queues—Austrian Airports Brace for January Surge]()
If navigating the new biometric formalities feels daunting, travellers can off-load much of the paperwork stress to VisaHQ. Through its Austria-specific portal (https://www.visahq.com/austria/), the service checks passport validity, visa requirements and health declarations in advance, and can even arrange consular appointments or courier documents, reducing the risk of last-minute surprises at the EES kiosks.
The Interior Ministry says it may seek an EU derogation to keep the January capture rate below 35 % if kiosk failures persist, but unanimity among member states would be required. In the meantime, HR departments should: 1) circulate quick-guide videos on kiosk navigation; 2) schedule biometric appointments for the afternoon rather than early morning; and 3) remind commuters from Bratislava that keeping boarding passes is vital now that passport stamping will end once EES is fully live.
Looking ahead, a mobile pre-enrolment app is promised for June 2026. Until then, travel-management systems should integrate buffer times of at least 45 minutes for non-EU arrivals at Vienna and 30 minutes at secondary airports.
Airlines such as Austrian and Ryanair have retimed certain wave-bank departures to preserve minimum connections, while Qatar Airways has shifted its late-night Doha service forward by 20 minutes. Business travellers are especially exposed because premium-lane capacity is limited: several relocation firms report missed residence-permit appointments when clients were stuck in immigration queues.
If navigating the new biometric formalities feels daunting, travellers can off-load much of the paperwork stress to VisaHQ. Through its Austria-specific portal (https://www.visahq.com/austria/), the service checks passport validity, visa requirements and health declarations in advance, and can even arrange consular appointments or courier documents, reducing the risk of last-minute surprises at the EES kiosks.
The Interior Ministry says it may seek an EU derogation to keep the January capture rate below 35 % if kiosk failures persist, but unanimity among member states would be required. In the meantime, HR departments should: 1) circulate quick-guide videos on kiosk navigation; 2) schedule biometric appointments for the afternoon rather than early morning; and 3) remind commuters from Bratislava that keeping boarding passes is vital now that passport stamping will end once EES is fully live.
Looking ahead, a mobile pre-enrolment app is promised for June 2026. Until then, travel-management systems should integrate buffer times of at least 45 minutes for non-EU arrivals at Vienna and 30 minutes at secondary airports.
