European aviation bodies have persuaded Brussels to clarify that Schengen countries can switch off the new Entry/Exit System (EES) for up to six hours a day during peak season. GBC News reported on 18 February that the flexibility is already baked into the legal text and may be used until early September 2026 to avoid passport-control queues of four hours or more.
For Switzerland—whose airports began enrolling third-country travellers in the biometric system last October—the option offers a safety valve ahead of the Easter break and the Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics spill-over. Basel and Geneva saw wait times of up to 90 minutes during the Christmas surge; Zurich airport expects 95,000 passengers on certain August weekends. Allowing a temporary pause could smooth flows without jeopardising data integrity, as enrolments completed earlier remain valid for three years.
![Schengen states—including Switzerland—may pause new Entry/Exit System to ease summer bottlenecks]()
VisaHQ’s Switzerland team can help travellers and global-mobility coordinators stay ahead of these EES adjustments and the forthcoming ETIAS launch, offering live regulatory updates, document checks and expedited appointment scheduling—visit https://www.visahq.com/switzerland/ for more information.
Global-mobility teams should nevertheless warn assignees and business travellers to budget extra time at the first point of entry into the Schengen zone until they have completed their initial EES registration. Airlines may continue to recommend arriving at the airport three hours in advance. Companies running tight connection schedules for VIPs should consider Fast-Track or VIP services until the system beds in.
The official full-implementation date for EES across the Schengen area remains 10 April 2026, and the EU has not indicated any delay to ETIAS, which is slated for the last quarter of 2026.
For Switzerland—whose airports began enrolling third-country travellers in the biometric system last October—the option offers a safety valve ahead of the Easter break and the Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics spill-over. Basel and Geneva saw wait times of up to 90 minutes during the Christmas surge; Zurich airport expects 95,000 passengers on certain August weekends. Allowing a temporary pause could smooth flows without jeopardising data integrity, as enrolments completed earlier remain valid for three years.
VisaHQ’s Switzerland team can help travellers and global-mobility coordinators stay ahead of these EES adjustments and the forthcoming ETIAS launch, offering live regulatory updates, document checks and expedited appointment scheduling—visit https://www.visahq.com/switzerland/ for more information.
Global-mobility teams should nevertheless warn assignees and business travellers to budget extra time at the first point of entry into the Schengen zone until they have completed their initial EES registration. Airlines may continue to recommend arriving at the airport three hours in advance. Companies running tight connection schedules for VIPs should consider Fast-Track or VIP services until the system beds in.
The official full-implementation date for EES across the Schengen area remains 10 April 2026, and the EU has not indicated any delay to ETIAS, which is slated for the last quarter of 2026.
