Belgium has become the latest EU member-state to hit the brakes on the biometric component of the bloc’s new Entry/Exit System (EES) after chaotic scenes at Brussels Airport last weekend left non-EU travellers in snaking queues that reached more than three hours.
The Federal Interior Ministry confirmed that, until further notice, federal police will no longer scan fingerprints or capture facial images, although third-country nationals must still complete the digital registration that replaces passport stamps.
The temporary suspension follows trial operations that overwhelmed border booths just as the Easter holiday rush is beginning.
On Thursday morning, 2 April, arriving passengers still waited 60–70 minutes at passport control despite the biometric reprieve, according to airport spokesperson Quentin Mertens.
Airlines reported more than 600 missed connections in four days, and business-travel groups warned of knock-on effects on corporate itineraries and supply-chain visits scheduled around the holiday week.
Under EU rules the EES must be fully operational at all Schengen external borders by 10 April 2026, replacing ink stamps with a centralised database that logs each entry and exit for stays under 90 days.
![Belgium pauses biometric data collection under EU Entry/Exit System after airport chaos]()
Belgian officials insist the pause is temporary, but say software glitches, higher-than-forecast transaction times and an acute shortage of federal police staff make the April milestone unrealistic without “urgent performance fixes”.
As travellers and mobility managers try to keep up with these shifting rules, VisaHQ’s online platform (https://www.visahq.com/belgium/) can streamline pre-trip paperwork, provide real-time updates on Schengen entry requirements and even track individual stay limits. The service gives corporations and frequent flyers a single dashboard for monitoring multiple passports and visa needs, reducing the risk of overstays or documentation errors during this turbulent rollout.
For companies flying talent through Brussels, the decision offers short-term relief: travellers from the United States, UK, Canada and most of Asia can once again use automated e-gates, shaving several minutes off each clearance.
Employers are nevertheless being urged to build longer connection buffers into travel policies and to keep copies of Schengen-stay calculations in case manual stamping errors emerge during the transition period.
The Interior Ministry has convened an inter-agency task-force with the European Commission and airport operator BAC to redesign passenger-flow models before the summer peak.
Observers say Belgium’s stance will embolden other member states—France, the Netherlands and Spain have all raised similar concerns—to seek flexibility if performance targets are not met.
The Federal Interior Ministry confirmed that, until further notice, federal police will no longer scan fingerprints or capture facial images, although third-country nationals must still complete the digital registration that replaces passport stamps.
The temporary suspension follows trial operations that overwhelmed border booths just as the Easter holiday rush is beginning.
On Thursday morning, 2 April, arriving passengers still waited 60–70 minutes at passport control despite the biometric reprieve, according to airport spokesperson Quentin Mertens.
Airlines reported more than 600 missed connections in four days, and business-travel groups warned of knock-on effects on corporate itineraries and supply-chain visits scheduled around the holiday week.
Under EU rules the EES must be fully operational at all Schengen external borders by 10 April 2026, replacing ink stamps with a centralised database that logs each entry and exit for stays under 90 days.
Belgian officials insist the pause is temporary, but say software glitches, higher-than-forecast transaction times and an acute shortage of federal police staff make the April milestone unrealistic without “urgent performance fixes”.
As travellers and mobility managers try to keep up with these shifting rules, VisaHQ’s online platform (https://www.visahq.com/belgium/) can streamline pre-trip paperwork, provide real-time updates on Schengen entry requirements and even track individual stay limits. The service gives corporations and frequent flyers a single dashboard for monitoring multiple passports and visa needs, reducing the risk of overstays or documentation errors during this turbulent rollout.
For companies flying talent through Brussels, the decision offers short-term relief: travellers from the United States, UK, Canada and most of Asia can once again use automated e-gates, shaving several minutes off each clearance.
Employers are nevertheless being urged to build longer connection buffers into travel policies and to keep copies of Schengen-stay calculations in case manual stamping errors emerge during the transition period.
The Interior Ministry has convened an inter-agency task-force with the European Commission and airport operator BAC to redesign passenger-flow models before the summer peak.
Observers say Belgium’s stance will embolden other member states—France, the Netherlands and Spain have all raised similar concerns—to seek flexibility if performance targets are not met.
