The European Commission on 3 May issued guidance permitting Schengen members to suspend the mandatory biometric component of the Entry/Exit System (EES) during traffic peaks, provided passports are still stamped manually and traveller data uploaded later. Arabic daily Al-Khaleej reports that the flexibilities were granted after Italy and France tabled joint evidence showing wait times of over 60 minutes at several hub airports during the May-Day holiday. Under the decision, border-guard commanders may activate a ‘manual-mode’ that re-opens traditional booths and reverts to ink stamping when queue-length or processing-time thresholds are exceeded. Airlines remain obliged to transmit Advance Passenger Information, and states must clear any backlog of biometric enrolments within 48 hours.
![Brussels allows Schengen states to drop biometric fingerprinting at peak times after Italian lobbying]()
Amid these shifting rules, many travellers and HR coordinators are turning to VisaHQ for end-to-end assistance: its Schengen desk can pre-screen documentation, track manual stamps versus biometric entries, and provide stay-limit calculators—full details and booking information are available at https://www.visahq.com/italy/
The database itself stays live, safeguarding over-stay detection and watch-list alerts. The Commission advises travellers and mobility managers to allow an extra 30 minutes for transfers while the hybrid regime beds in. Corporate-immigration lawyers caution that manual stamping can complicate the calculation of days spent in Schengen, urging staff to keep boarding passes and hotel invoices as auxiliary proof of presence. In the medium term Brussels is accelerating two digital fixes: a mobile pre-registration app due for pilot testing in June, and the ETIAS travel-authorisation system now slated to go live in October 2026. Both are expected to reduce the time each passenger spends at a kiosk from the current 90 seconds to under 45 seconds. For global-mobility teams the new guidance offers welcome breathing-space but also adds complexity: policies must be updated to reflect mixed stamping/biometric records, and travellers briefed on the possibility of extra passport stamps that could affect future stay-limit calculations.
Amid these shifting rules, many travellers and HR coordinators are turning to VisaHQ for end-to-end assistance: its Schengen desk can pre-screen documentation, track manual stamps versus biometric entries, and provide stay-limit calculators—full details and booking information are available at https://www.visahq.com/italy/
The database itself stays live, safeguarding over-stay detection and watch-list alerts. The Commission advises travellers and mobility managers to allow an extra 30 minutes for transfers while the hybrid regime beds in. Corporate-immigration lawyers caution that manual stamping can complicate the calculation of days spent in Schengen, urging staff to keep boarding passes and hotel invoices as auxiliary proof of presence. In the medium term Brussels is accelerating two digital fixes: a mobile pre-registration app due for pilot testing in June, and the ETIAS travel-authorisation system now slated to go live in October 2026. Both are expected to reduce the time each passenger spends at a kiosk from the current 90 seconds to under 45 seconds. For global-mobility teams the new guidance offers welcome breathing-space but also adds complexity: policies must be updated to reflect mixed stamping/biometric records, and travellers briefed on the possibility of extra passport stamps that could affect future stay-limit calculations.
