The European Commission looks set to delay full enforcement of the EU's biometric Entry/Exit System (EES) again, according to The Independent. The system governs checks on non-EU travellers entering the Schengen area, including Britons. Transport commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas has privately indicated the checks will keep being paused past their 6 September 2026 deadline; UK Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said she came away "reassured" after raising the issue with him at a meeting on 14 July.

EES replaces manual passport stamps with fingerprint and facial-image registration for non-EU arrivals at every external Schengen border. It has been phased in since October 2025 and was meant to apply in full by April 2026, but a derogation lets border posts suspend the biometric checks when queues build up — the clause the Commission is now expected to extend, according to The Independent.

Travellers to Spain, France and other Schengen countries can expect continued manual stamping at congested airports such as Alicante, where a £985m terminal upgrade is under way; those crossing via Dover or the Eurotunnel face slower automation too, despite the UK's £20m investment in new booths there.

It would be at least the system's fourth slip. EES was originally due to launch on 10 November 2024 but was postponed after Germany, France and the Netherlands said their systems weren't ready, according to the BBC. That delay left Eurotunnel, which had spent £70m preparing, weighing legal action, and Dover's council leader warning of "complete and utter carnage."

No formal Commission decision has been announced. Extending the derogation would need buy-in from the Schengen states running the affected crossings. Unconfirmed: how long any extension would last, and whether it applies across the bloc or only at the worst-hit airports and ports.

This article is general information, not legal advice.