The European Union’s new Entry/Exit System (EES) may have gone live in October 2025, but the next milestone hits in less than two weeks: from 10 April 2026 airlines, ferry companies and coach operators must query the EU’s Carrier Interface (CI) before boarding third-country passengers who hold single- or double-entry Schengen visas. Lufthansa Group, Condor and FlixBus told Global Mobility News they have completed system integration tests. At Frankfurt and Munich airports, federal police have installed back-up kiosks in case the CI returns a “NOT OK” result at check-in, allowing manual inspection without delaying departures. Airports warn, however, that carriers will be fined if they uplift travellers who have exhausted their visa entries, so check-in agents will take a hard line on travel-history discrepancies.
![German carriers brace for 10 April Entry/Exit System deadline]()
For companies and travellers who want to avoid last-minute surprises at the check-in desk, VisaHQ offers an end-to-end solution for obtaining and managing Schengen visas. Through its Germany portal (https://www.visahq.com/germany/), users can track remaining entries, set renewal reminders and access up-to-date compliance advice—helping mobility teams ensure every trip is “OK to board” before data ever reaches the Carrier Interface.
For business travellers, the main operational impact is likely to be longer document checks on the outbound leg rather than upon arrival in Germany. Multinationals are advising staff to carry printouts of previous entry stamps and, where possible, to travel on multi-entry visas until ETIAS comes online in late 2026. Mobility managers should also update employee-travel policies to reflect the potential cost of denied boarding, which under EU Regulation 261/2004 remains the employer’s responsibility when travel is for work. The Federal Police say they will run a public information campaign from 1 April on social media and at border checkpoints. Companies relocating staff during the Easter peak should build in extra time at departure airports outside the EU, especially where carriers rely on manual data-entry rather than API links to the CI.
For companies and travellers who want to avoid last-minute surprises at the check-in desk, VisaHQ offers an end-to-end solution for obtaining and managing Schengen visas. Through its Germany portal (https://www.visahq.com/germany/), users can track remaining entries, set renewal reminders and access up-to-date compliance advice—helping mobility teams ensure every trip is “OK to board” before data ever reaches the Carrier Interface.
For business travellers, the main operational impact is likely to be longer document checks on the outbound leg rather than upon arrival in Germany. Multinationals are advising staff to carry printouts of previous entry stamps and, where possible, to travel on multi-entry visas until ETIAS comes online in late 2026. Mobility managers should also update employee-travel policies to reflect the potential cost of denied boarding, which under EU Regulation 261/2004 remains the employer’s responsibility when travel is for work. The Federal Police say they will run a public information campaign from 1 April on social media and at border checkpoints. Companies relocating staff during the Easter peak should build in extra time at departure airports outside the EU, especially where carriers rely on manual data-entry rather than API links to the CI.
