Czech travel agents are warning clients heading south for the May–September holiday season that the European Union’s new biometric Entry-Exit System (EES) is already causing serious congestion at airports and land borders—and that Croatia, the favourite summer destination for Czechs, could be next. According to a report published at 04:47 on 8 May 2026 by Germany’s Merkur newspaper, passengers arriving at several German airports are facing waits of one to two hours while border officers capture fingerprints and facial images under the EES, which officially replaced the old passport-stamp procedure in October 2025. Airlines, led by Ryanair, have asked EU governments to suspend the roll-out until after the high-season crush. Although the article focuses on German airports, the same infrastructure and staffing challenges exist across all 29 Schengen countries that participate in the system, including Czechia and Croatia.
Why does this matter for Czech travellers? Croatia has welcomed more than 850,000 visitors from Czechia each summer in the pre-pandemic years, and direct motorway and low-cost-carrier links have resumed their steep growth since 2023. If biometric kiosks are not fully operational at Zagreb, Split and Dubrovnik airports—or at the busy Slovene-Croat land crossings—tour operators fear missed connections, lost hotel nights and costly re-routing.
Prague-based agency CK Victoria is already urging clients without EU passports (for example, family members from Ukraine or Serbia who travel with Czech residents) to arrive at Vaclav Havel Airport at least three hours before departure and to pre-enrol in Croatia’s voluntary EES web portal once it goes live.
![EU’s new Entry-Exit System triggers hours-long queues; Czech holidaymakers to Croatia urged to plan extra time]()
The Czech Foreign Ministry told the public broadcaster ČRo this morning that it has “no indication that Croatia plans to postpone EES”, but confirmed that the Czech consular hotline in Zagreb has doubled weekend staffing through August. The ministry recommends that non-EU family members carry printed proof of accommodation and return tickets to avoid secondary inspection delays.
Travellers who need a single, reliable source for the latest biometric and visa rules can also turn to VisaHQ. The service’s Czech portal (https://www.visahq.com/czech-republic/) lets users check document requirements for Croatia and other Schengen countries, receive alerts when EES pre-enrolment opens, and order courier assistance for last-minute passport renewals—all in Czech or English.
For corporate mobility managers, the immediate tasks are two-fold: update employee travel policies to reflect longer connection windows (especially for Prague–Frankfurt–Split itineraries that require a second EES scan in Germany) and brief travellers on the self-service biometric kiosks, which accept Czech e-ID cards only for exit but still require passports on entry. Multinationals with rotational assignees on Croatian construction and IT projects should also budget for potential overtime costs when border delays push drivers beyond regulated working-time limits.
In the medium term, Prague Airport’s Alien Police Directorate says it will open six additional automated gates for non-EU nationals by July and is negotiating a data-sharing pilot with Croatia so that the first EES capture in Prague can be reused at destination. Until that becomes reality, experts advise building at least 90 minutes of “buffer” into every segment that involves an external Schengen border.
Why does this matter for Czech travellers? Croatia has welcomed more than 850,000 visitors from Czechia each summer in the pre-pandemic years, and direct motorway and low-cost-carrier links have resumed their steep growth since 2023. If biometric kiosks are not fully operational at Zagreb, Split and Dubrovnik airports—or at the busy Slovene-Croat land crossings—tour operators fear missed connections, lost hotel nights and costly re-routing.
Prague-based agency CK Victoria is already urging clients without EU passports (for example, family members from Ukraine or Serbia who travel with Czech residents) to arrive at Vaclav Havel Airport at least three hours before departure and to pre-enrol in Croatia’s voluntary EES web portal once it goes live.
The Czech Foreign Ministry told the public broadcaster ČRo this morning that it has “no indication that Croatia plans to postpone EES”, but confirmed that the Czech consular hotline in Zagreb has doubled weekend staffing through August. The ministry recommends that non-EU family members carry printed proof of accommodation and return tickets to avoid secondary inspection delays.
Travellers who need a single, reliable source for the latest biometric and visa rules can also turn to VisaHQ. The service’s Czech portal (https://www.visahq.com/czech-republic/) lets users check document requirements for Croatia and other Schengen countries, receive alerts when EES pre-enrolment opens, and order courier assistance for last-minute passport renewals—all in Czech or English.
For corporate mobility managers, the immediate tasks are two-fold: update employee travel policies to reflect longer connection windows (especially for Prague–Frankfurt–Split itineraries that require a second EES scan in Germany) and brief travellers on the self-service biometric kiosks, which accept Czech e-ID cards only for exit but still require passports on entry. Multinationals with rotational assignees on Croatian construction and IT projects should also budget for potential overtime costs when border delays push drivers beyond regulated working-time limits.
In the medium term, Prague Airport’s Alien Police Directorate says it will open six additional automated gates for non-EU nationals by July and is negotiating a data-sharing pilot with Croatia so that the first EES capture in Prague can be reused at destination. Until that becomes reality, experts advise building at least 90 minutes of “buffer” into every segment that involves an external Schengen border.
