Airports across Europe descended into organised chaos on 19 December when the European Union’s new biometric Entry/Exit System (EES) went repeatedly offline. Although only 10 per cent of travellers are currently being enrolled during the pilot phase, outages generated lines of up to three hours for non-EU nationals at major hubs—including Frankfurt, Paris CDG and Madrid—that handle a high volume of Polish transfer passengers.
In Poland the immediate pain is felt in two ways. First, Warsaw Chopin and Kraków Balice airports must divert arriving third-country nationals—such as UK or Ukrainian dependants of locally based assignees—to manual booths each time kiosks fail, slowing overall passenger flow. Second, Polish business travellers transiting through hub airports risk missing onward long-haul connections. Airports Council International reports that average processing times have jumped 70 per cent since the live trial began on 12 October.
EU officials concede the system remains fragile. Enrolment is scheduled to rise to 35 per cent by 9 January and 100 per cent by April 2026, fuelling fears of an Easter travel meltdown. Contingency options under discussion include suspending EES during the Christmas rush or deploying mobile enrolment teams in arrival halls.
![EU Entry/Exit System Crashes Cause Three-Hour Queues as Polish Travellers Hit Christmas Peak]()
Amid the uncertainty, travellers can turn to VisaHQ for up-to-date guidance and document support. Through its Poland portal (https://www.visahq.com/poland/), the firm provides real-time alerts on EES disruptions, helps verify that passports and visas meet the latest requirements and offers expedited processing for last-minute trips—reducing the likelihood of delays when airport systems falter.
Corporate mobility teams are revising travel guidance in real time: staff are told to arrive at least four hours before departure when transiting major hubs and to avoid scheduling critical meetings on the day of arrival. Carriers also urge travellers to check that passports contain blank pages; ironically, while EES eliminates stamping, border guards often revert to manual stamps when kiosks go offline.
In the medium term EES promises friction-free crossings once reliability improves. For now, Polish employers must budget for longer layovers, higher hotel costs and the possibility of missed connections—particularly for UK, US and Asian assignees who fall under the new biometric rules.
In Poland the immediate pain is felt in two ways. First, Warsaw Chopin and Kraków Balice airports must divert arriving third-country nationals—such as UK or Ukrainian dependants of locally based assignees—to manual booths each time kiosks fail, slowing overall passenger flow. Second, Polish business travellers transiting through hub airports risk missing onward long-haul connections. Airports Council International reports that average processing times have jumped 70 per cent since the live trial began on 12 October.
EU officials concede the system remains fragile. Enrolment is scheduled to rise to 35 per cent by 9 January and 100 per cent by April 2026, fuelling fears of an Easter travel meltdown. Contingency options under discussion include suspending EES during the Christmas rush or deploying mobile enrolment teams in arrival halls.
Amid the uncertainty, travellers can turn to VisaHQ for up-to-date guidance and document support. Through its Poland portal (https://www.visahq.com/poland/), the firm provides real-time alerts on EES disruptions, helps verify that passports and visas meet the latest requirements and offers expedited processing for last-minute trips—reducing the likelihood of delays when airport systems falter.
Corporate mobility teams are revising travel guidance in real time: staff are told to arrive at least four hours before departure when transiting major hubs and to avoid scheduling critical meetings on the day of arrival. Carriers also urge travellers to check that passports contain blank pages; ironically, while EES eliminates stamping, border guards often revert to manual stamps when kiosks go offline.
In the medium term EES promises friction-free crossings once reliability improves. For now, Polish employers must budget for longer layovers, higher hotel costs and the possibility of missed connections—particularly for UK, US and Asian assignees who fall under the new biometric rules.
