Nine European Union member states have requested additional time to fully implement fingerprinting and facial recognition requirements for non-EU travelers at their border crossing points. The countries seeking delays include France, Greece, Portugal, Italy, Germany, Malta, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and Belgium. These nations cited operational challenges and capacity limitations at major airports, particularly during peak travel periods.
The entry-exit system, initially adopted by the EU in 2017 and officially launched last October, was scheduled to reach full operational status in April before being postponed again. The system had previously been delayed multiple times to manage congestion during major events. Spain has proceeded with complete implementation despite earlier technical difficulties.
EU officials characterize the system as functioning effectively overall, noting approximately 200 million registrations and the apprehension of roughly 70,000 individuals attempting entry into the Schengen area. This represents an increase from 43,700 apprehensions recorded in June. Those stopped included individuals lacking valid visas, persons who exceeded their permitted stay duration, and travelers using fraudulent identification documents.
The delays are not uniformly applied across the nine nations. Fingerprinting has commenced at certain facilities including the Eurostar terminal in Brussels and the port of Antwerp, while many smaller regional airports have not yet achieved full compliance. Major international hubs such as Frankfurt and Schiphol are capturing biometric data, though limited capacity at smaller facilities remains problematic. EU sources indicate that only 12 of approximately 1,500 border crossing points continue experiencing difficulties.
While technically in breach of EU regulations, member states face no threat of prosecution, according to Brussels officials. A complementary pre-authorization application allowing passengers to register biometric and passport information prior to travel is in development for seven countries, currently operational only in Sweden and Portugal.
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