The deadline for the full implementation of the Europe's Entry/Exit System (EES), the new EU digital border system, has been postponed from April to September amid concerns over travel disruptions during the summer season, a European Commission spokesperson said on Friday. The system is being introduced gradually across the 29 countries of the Schengen area (25 EU member states plus Iceland, Norway, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein) following several delays in the launch due to IT issues. However the deadline has now been pushed back to September to allow ports and airports more time to phase in the checks with the aim of avoiding any summer travel chaos. And of course Member States have continued to work to further improve processing time,” he added. Also at the end of last year, the government of Portugal decided to suspend the EES implementation at Lisbon Airport to reduce waiting times.

Source: The Local January 31, 2026 15:02 UTC