Specialist journal Identity Week reported on 6 February that only 35 % of Schengen external-border points have activated the new biometric Entry-Exit System (EES), leading to multi-hour queues at airports including Paris-Charles-de-Gaulle and Geneva. The Commission has authorised temporary suspensions during peak periods, but France still faces an April 10 deadline to enrol 100 % of non-EU travellers.
EES replaces passport stamps with the capture of four fingerprints and a facial image on first entry. At CDG Terminal 2E, staff recorded processing times of up to 28 minutes per family during last Saturday’s ski-holiday rush, compared with the pre-EES average of four minutes. Air-lines fear even longer waits once kiosks capture biometrics for every passenger rather than today’s capped 35 % sample.
The Interior Ministry says 500 additional Border Police officers will be redeployed to Paris airports from March, and 120 mobile enrolment tablets will be trialled on arriving aircraft to pre-register fingerprint data before passengers disembark. Eurostar intends to install 50 self-service EES kiosks at London St Pancras, but software certification by French authorities is still pending.
![Biometric Entry-Exit System Hits Bottlenecks; France Prepares for Full Roll-Out by April]()
For travellers who would rather avoid nasty surprises at the border, specialist visa facilitator VisaHQ can step in. Through its France page (https://www.visahq.com/france/) the company tracks EES roll-outs, pre-departure documentation requirements and future ETIAS obligations, offering live updates and application support that help corporate road-warriors and holidaymakers breeze through checkpoints even when systems are in flux.
For businesses, the immediate concern is itinerary padding. Travel-management companies now advise allowing a minimum 90-minute buffer between landing and onward rail meetings in Île-de-France. Employers bringing short-term assignees should warn them that the first EES registration can take 15 minutes even at quiet times.
Looking further ahead, EES is a prerequisite for the ETIAS travel authorisation launching in late 2026. France’s successful implementation will therefore set the tone for how seamless—or painful—future business travel to Europe becomes.
EES replaces passport stamps with the capture of four fingerprints and a facial image on first entry. At CDG Terminal 2E, staff recorded processing times of up to 28 minutes per family during last Saturday’s ski-holiday rush, compared with the pre-EES average of four minutes. Air-lines fear even longer waits once kiosks capture biometrics for every passenger rather than today’s capped 35 % sample.
The Interior Ministry says 500 additional Border Police officers will be redeployed to Paris airports from March, and 120 mobile enrolment tablets will be trialled on arriving aircraft to pre-register fingerprint data before passengers disembark. Eurostar intends to install 50 self-service EES kiosks at London St Pancras, but software certification by French authorities is still pending.
For travellers who would rather avoid nasty surprises at the border, specialist visa facilitator VisaHQ can step in. Through its France page (https://www.visahq.com/france/) the company tracks EES roll-outs, pre-departure documentation requirements and future ETIAS obligations, offering live updates and application support that help corporate road-warriors and holidaymakers breeze through checkpoints even when systems are in flux.
For businesses, the immediate concern is itinerary padding. Travel-management companies now advise allowing a minimum 90-minute buffer between landing and onward rail meetings in Île-de-France. Employers bringing short-term assignees should warn them that the first EES registration can take 15 minutes even at quiet times.
Looking further ahead, EES is a prerequisite for the ETIAS travel authorisation launching in late 2026. France’s successful implementation will therefore set the tone for how seamless—or painful—future business travel to Europe becomes.
