Travelling To Europe? How This New System Could Triple Your Time At Passport Control

Published 19 July 2026 · europe

Travelling To Europe? How This New System Could Triple Your Time At Passport Control Published By, Last Updated: July 19, 2026, 13:21 IST Europe's new

Travelling To Europe? How This New System Could Triple Your Time At Passport Control Published By, Last Updated: July 19, 2026, 13:21 IST Europe's new Entry Exit System is slowing passport checks, with Rome Airport saying processing times for UK travellers have nearly tripled. Rapid Read Every day, hundreds of flights arrive and depart from here, making it one of Asia's busiest aviation hubs. Travellers from the UK heading to Europe this summer may need to factor in extra time at airports as the European Union’s new Entry Exit System (EES) continues to slow passport checks, prompting Ryanair to warn passengers about extended waiting times. The airline said the rollout of the new border system has resulted in unnecessary delays and advised passengers travelling to Europe to be prepared for longer queues at passport control. The warning comes as officials at some European airports acknowledged that the new system has affected passenger processing, even after improvements were introduced. Passport Checks Now Take Longer At Rome’s Fiumicino Airport, passengers from the UK are taking considerably longer to clear border control than before the introduction of the EES. Ivan Bassato, the airport’s Chief Aviation Officer, said recent changes, including allowing UK travellers to register their fingerprints and photographs at passport e-gates instead of standalone kiosks, had improved the process. However, he said the average time for UK passengers to complete border checks has still increased from seven minutes to around 20 minutes. “We are not at the point where you have the same quality of the process as before the EES," Bassato said.

Children under the age of 12 are still required to complete the process with a border officer instead of using the automated gates. Passengers Describe Long Waits Several travellers shared their experiences of lengthy queues after arriving in Europe. Carl, who travelled from Yorkshire to Rome with his family, said it took around two hours to clear passport control after landing. “It was two hours queuing, from getting off the plane to getting through with children. I knew it was going to be bad, but not as bad as that," he said. David, who travelled from the United States with his wife Marlo, said they waited for about an hour, causing them to miss the driver who was supposed to pick them up. Other travellers reported similar experiences at different airports. Barry, who travelled through Barcelona before boarding a cruise to Rome, said passport checks took 45 to 50 minutes, adding that some machines were not working. Sarah, who arrived in Barcelona on a different flight, said the queue lasted for nearly an hour and took almost as long as the flight itself. Airports Continue To Face Challenges The digital Entry Exit System requires non-EU citizens entering the Schengen area, which consists of 29 European countries, to register their fingerprints and have their photograph taken on arrival. The information is checked when they leave. Rome’s Fiumicino Airport said it found it impractical to rely on standalone kiosks despite investing €12 million in the technology. Meanwhile, border police at Portugal’s Faro Airport told the BBC that the technology had experienced bugs but said they expected waiting times to reduce quickly.