France has fallen behind the timetable for deploying the EU’s new Entry/Exit System (EES) after failing to meet the 150-day milestone that expired on 10 March. Under the EU’s phased-start regulation, all French external-Schengen borders were supposed to be running EES with at least 50 % of third-country passengers registered by the deadline. Internal ministry figures seen by The Connexion show that coverage is still hovering around 35 % amid widespread kiosk malfunctions and IT-interface problems. Paris-Charles-de-Gaulle, which processes almost a quarter of France’s non-EU traffic, reported queues of up to 90 minutes in Terminal 2E during the morning peak on 10 March after six of the 14 biometric kiosks went offline.
![France misses 150-day EES rollout target as technical glitches trigger CDG queues]()
For travellers trying to stay ahead of these shifting border requirements, VisaHQ can simplify the process. The company’s online platform (https://www.visahq.com/france/) provides real-time visa information, digital application tools and courier services for France and the wider Schengen area, giving both businesses and individual passengers a reliable way to avoid last-minute paperwork snags while the EES rollout continues.
Airlines say the delays are already eroding minimum connection times and could cause missed onward flights once the summer schedule ramps up. Ferry ports at Cherbourg and Caen have yet to receive the promised tablet-based “pre-registration devices”, forcing manual data capture by border police. The holdup casts doubt on France’s ability to achieve full EES compliance by the hard 10 April cut-over, when physical passport stamps are due to be abolished. Industry body FNAM warned that a last-minute scramble could replicate the chaos seen when the UK introduced e-gate facial recognition in 2019. Airlines have asked the Interior Ministry for a contingency plan allowing selective stamping or waivers for tight-turnaround flights if kiosks fail. For global-mobility teams, an incomplete EES rollout increases the likelihood of overstays being recorded incorrectly, potentially jeopardising Schengen-visa compliance for rotational assignees. Companies are being advised to brief travellers to retain boarding passes and to photograph exit stamps where still used, providing an audit trail in the event of data mismatches. The Interior Ministry insists the programme “remains on track” and says additional technicians have been deployed to CDG and Nice airports. Nevertheless, the European Commission’s Schengen directorate told MEPs last month that three member states—including one of the original 2024 laggards—are “quite some distance” from current thresholds, fuelling speculation that further grace periods may be considered.
For travellers trying to stay ahead of these shifting border requirements, VisaHQ can simplify the process. The company’s online platform (https://www.visahq.com/france/) provides real-time visa information, digital application tools and courier services for France and the wider Schengen area, giving both businesses and individual passengers a reliable way to avoid last-minute paperwork snags while the EES rollout continues.
Airlines say the delays are already eroding minimum connection times and could cause missed onward flights once the summer schedule ramps up. Ferry ports at Cherbourg and Caen have yet to receive the promised tablet-based “pre-registration devices”, forcing manual data capture by border police. The holdup casts doubt on France’s ability to achieve full EES compliance by the hard 10 April cut-over, when physical passport stamps are due to be abolished. Industry body FNAM warned that a last-minute scramble could replicate the chaos seen when the UK introduced e-gate facial recognition in 2019. Airlines have asked the Interior Ministry for a contingency plan allowing selective stamping or waivers for tight-turnaround flights if kiosks fail. For global-mobility teams, an incomplete EES rollout increases the likelihood of overstays being recorded incorrectly, potentially jeopardising Schengen-visa compliance for rotational assignees. Companies are being advised to brief travellers to retain boarding passes and to photograph exit stamps where still used, providing an audit trail in the event of data mismatches. The Interior Ministry insists the programme “remains on track” and says additional technicians have been deployed to CDG and Nice airports. Nevertheless, the European Commission’s Schengen directorate told MEPs last month that three member states—including one of the original 2024 laggards—are “quite some distance” from current thresholds, fuelling speculation that further grace periods may be considered.
