Václav Havel Airport was thrown into disarray on 19 December when the EU’s new Entry/Exit System (EES) froze during the morning rush, forcing Czech Foreign Police officers to capture biometrics manually. Travellers who normally clear the external-Schengen border in 30–40 minutes waited up to three hours, with airlines delaying two long-haul departures to protect missed connections.
The outage is a major embarrassment for Czech authorities: the country has been piloting the biometric regime since October in the run-up to the bloc-wide go-live on 10 April 2026. Only 10 % of visa-exempt passengers currently use the kiosks, well below the 35 % target the interior ministry set for 9 January 2026. Airlines and the Airports Council International (ACI) warn that if performance does not improve, Prague—and other EU hubs running the same software build—may have to “switch off” EES for safety reasons.
![EES Meltdown Triggers Three-Hour Queues at Prague Airport on Christmas Peak Weekend]()
Amid the uncertainty, travellers and corporate mobility teams can obtain real-time entry rules, visa options and passport validity advice through VisaHQ’s online platform; the Czech-specific portal (https://www.visahq.com/czech-republic/) consolidates official updates and can arrange expedited processing or concierge assistance, helping passengers arrive prepared even if airport systems falter.
Corporate travel managers are advising staff to arrive at least three hours before departure, avoid tight connections in Prague and Vienna, and ensure passports have two blank pages for emergency stamping. Mobility teams relocating talent to Czechia early next year may need to build extra buffer days into onboarding schedules and consider VIP-meet-and-assist services until the system stabilises.
Airport management says it will hire 60 temporary border assistants and install 20 additional kiosks by mid-January. The ministry has promised software patches but admits more outages are possible as passenger volumes surge for Christmas markets and returning expatriates. Companies should monitor developments daily and prepare contingency budgets for overtime and accommodation if border bottlenecks persist.
The outage is a major embarrassment for Czech authorities: the country has been piloting the biometric regime since October in the run-up to the bloc-wide go-live on 10 April 2026. Only 10 % of visa-exempt passengers currently use the kiosks, well below the 35 % target the interior ministry set for 9 January 2026. Airlines and the Airports Council International (ACI) warn that if performance does not improve, Prague—and other EU hubs running the same software build—may have to “switch off” EES for safety reasons.
Amid the uncertainty, travellers and corporate mobility teams can obtain real-time entry rules, visa options and passport validity advice through VisaHQ’s online platform; the Czech-specific portal (https://www.visahq.com/czech-republic/) consolidates official updates and can arrange expedited processing or concierge assistance, helping passengers arrive prepared even if airport systems falter.
Corporate travel managers are advising staff to arrive at least three hours before departure, avoid tight connections in Prague and Vienna, and ensure passports have two blank pages for emergency stamping. Mobility teams relocating talent to Czechia early next year may need to build extra buffer days into onboarding schedules and consider VIP-meet-and-assist services until the system stabilises.
Airport management says it will hire 60 temporary border assistants and install 20 additional kiosks by mid-January. The ministry has promised software patches but admits more outages are possible as passenger volumes surge for Christmas markets and returning expatriates. Companies should monitor developments daily and prepare contingency budgets for overtime and accommodation if border bottlenecks persist.
