Popular holiday destinations Portugal and Italy plan to “wave through” British tourists rather than enforce the EU’s newly launched Entry/Exit System (EES) this month, according to an LBC report published on 3 May. The decision follows chaotic scenes at Greek airports where 90-second biometric enrolment per passenger created hour-long queues. Under EES, all non-EU nationals—including UK citizens—must submit fingerprints and a facial image the first time they enter the Schengen Area after the system goes live.
![Portugal and Italy join Greece in suspending EU biometric border checks ahead of UK half-term rush]()
Whether you’re looking for the latest EES updates or need help navigating Schengen paperwork in general, VisaHQ’s UK platform (https://www.visahq.com/united-kingdom/) offers real-time policy alerts, online application tools and expert support for both leisure travellers and corporate mobility teams, streamlining compliance when border rules keep shifting.
Operators feared the process would cripple throughput during the late-May half-term exodus when more than 1.5 million UK residents are due to travel to southern Europe. Tourism boards pressed their governments to seek a waiver, arguing that holiday spending was at risk. Italy is expected to revert to a simple passport stamp for UK arrivals until September, while Portugal will continue its informal policy of suspending biometric capture when queues exceed 15 minutes. France and Croatia are said to be considering similar steps. For UK travellers—and the businesses that move staff intra-EU—the reprieve means shorter border waits but added uncertainty: airports could switch back to mandatory EES at short notice. Travel managers should brief employees on both scenarios, ensure passports have at least two blank pages for manual stamps and keep copies of entry records for posted-worker compliance. Longer-term, companies should prepare for full EES enforcement from autumn 2026, including potential knock-on effects on the 90/180-day Schengen stay calculation for frequent flyers.
Whether you’re looking for the latest EES updates or need help navigating Schengen paperwork in general, VisaHQ’s UK platform (https://www.visahq.com/united-kingdom/) offers real-time policy alerts, online application tools and expert support for both leisure travellers and corporate mobility teams, streamlining compliance when border rules keep shifting.
Operators feared the process would cripple throughput during the late-May half-term exodus when more than 1.5 million UK residents are due to travel to southern Europe. Tourism boards pressed their governments to seek a waiver, arguing that holiday spending was at risk. Italy is expected to revert to a simple passport stamp for UK arrivals until September, while Portugal will continue its informal policy of suspending biometric capture when queues exceed 15 minutes. France and Croatia are said to be considering similar steps. For UK travellers—and the businesses that move staff intra-EU—the reprieve means shorter border waits but added uncertainty: airports could switch back to mandatory EES at short notice. Travel managers should brief employees on both scenarios, ensure passports have at least two blank pages for manual stamps and keep copies of entry records for posted-worker compliance. Longer-term, companies should prepare for full EES enforcement from autumn 2026, including potential knock-on effects on the 90/180-day Schengen stay calculation for frequent flyers.
