Holidaymakers arriving at Geneva’s Cointrin Airport on December 20 were met by scenes more familiar to a rock-concert than a Swiss border post. Non-EU travellers found themselves inching forward for up to four hours after the biometric EU Entry/Exit System (EES) repeatedly froze, forcing border police to switch the machines off twice during the afternoon. The EES, introduced at Switzerland’s external airports in October, captures fingerprints and a facial image the first time a third-country national enters the Schengen area.
According to airport officials, only 10 % of non-EU passengers are being enrolled while the system is in its pilot phase, yet processing times have already risen 70 %. Geneva, the principal gateway for Alpine ski resorts, is bracing for another passenger spike between Christmas and New-Year. The Airports Council International-Europe has warned Brussels that a full roll-out in April 2026 could create serious safety risks if stability is not improved.
Swiss border police told local media they are deploying mobile enrolment units and will prioritise families with small children. Airlines have begun advising premium-class and corporate travellers to build an additional hour into their itineraries and to complete as much check-in formalities online as possible. Business travel managers are reminding assignees that, once registered, repeat crossings should be quicker—typically under 40 seconds—though the initial capture currently takes 15–25 minutes.
![Geneva Airport Hit by Four-Hour Queues as EU Entry/Exit System Falters]()
To avoid last-minute paperwork snags that could compound the EES delays, travellers can run an instant visa check through VisaHQ (https://www.visahq.com/switzerland/). The platform’s step-by-step wizard, used by both individuals and corporate mobility teams, clarifies whether you need a Schengen visa, arranges courier pickup of documents and tracks processing in real time, taking one uncertainty off your travel day.
Global-mobility teams are also adjusting meeting schedules. Some companies are asking staff arriving from the US or the Gulf to stay overnight in Geneva before proceeding to client sites, rather than risk missing morning appointments in Zurich or Lausanne. Technology firms with large convention delegations arriving for January’s World Economic Forum in Davos are working with DMCs to pre-collect passports so that VIPs can be fast-tracked through manual lanes if the kiosks crash again.
The Federal Office for Customs and Border Security insists the project will ultimately tighten security and speed legitimate travel once the biometric database is populated. In the meantime, organisers of ski transfers have added extra buses and staggered departure slots to absorb overflow, while the cantonal police have drafted crowd-control barriers normally reserved for music festivals.
According to airport officials, only 10 % of non-EU passengers are being enrolled while the system is in its pilot phase, yet processing times have already risen 70 %. Geneva, the principal gateway for Alpine ski resorts, is bracing for another passenger spike between Christmas and New-Year. The Airports Council International-Europe has warned Brussels that a full roll-out in April 2026 could create serious safety risks if stability is not improved.
Swiss border police told local media they are deploying mobile enrolment units and will prioritise families with small children. Airlines have begun advising premium-class and corporate travellers to build an additional hour into their itineraries and to complete as much check-in formalities online as possible. Business travel managers are reminding assignees that, once registered, repeat crossings should be quicker—typically under 40 seconds—though the initial capture currently takes 15–25 minutes.
To avoid last-minute paperwork snags that could compound the EES delays, travellers can run an instant visa check through VisaHQ (https://www.visahq.com/switzerland/). The platform’s step-by-step wizard, used by both individuals and corporate mobility teams, clarifies whether you need a Schengen visa, arranges courier pickup of documents and tracks processing in real time, taking one uncertainty off your travel day.
Global-mobility teams are also adjusting meeting schedules. Some companies are asking staff arriving from the US or the Gulf to stay overnight in Geneva before proceeding to client sites, rather than risk missing morning appointments in Zurich or Lausanne. Technology firms with large convention delegations arriving for January’s World Economic Forum in Davos are working with DMCs to pre-collect passports so that VIPs can be fast-tracked through manual lanes if the kiosks crash again.
The Federal Office for Customs and Border Security insists the project will ultimately tighten security and speed legitimate travel once the biometric database is populated. In the meantime, organisers of ski transfers have added extra buses and staggered departure slots to absorb overflow, while the cantonal police have drafted crowd-control barriers normally reserved for music festivals.
