Europe's New Border Rules May Cause Delays for Israeli Travelers

Israeli travelers heading to Europe should anticipate longer waits at border control due to the full implementation of the European Union's Entry/Exit System (EES). This biometric system, designed to register non-EU travelers, requires fingerprint and facial scans, significantly increasing processing time per passenger compared to traditional passport checks. While temporary exemptions for biometric data collection were allowed during peak summer travel to ease pressure, these have now ended. The EES, which began its phased rollout in late 2025 and reached full readiness in April 2026, now mandates full checks even during busy periods.

According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the biometric process takes approximately 90 seconds per passenger, a substantial increase from the 20-25 seconds for manual passport checks. This added time can lead to significant delays, especially when multiple flights arrive simultaneously. Reports from the summer indicated queues of up to two hours in airports like Frankfurt and Amsterdam during peak times.

Industry representatives are urging the European Commission to extend the period of leniency until at least the end of the winter season, citing concerns that current infrastructure and staffing levels at border crossings may not be adequate to handle passenger flow without major delays. However, the European Commission believes the EES has proven capable of operating normally over the summer and is discussing necessary adjustments at specific border points with individual countries.

Travelers, particularly those with connecting flights, are advised to allocate extra time for transit. Previously sufficient layover times may now be too short due to potential passport control delays. It is recommended that passengers arrive at airports earlier than usual and build in additional buffer time, as missing a mandatory border check due to a tight connection could jeopardize their onward journey.