Seven-hour wait at passport control: Latest system glitch causes chaos for travelers

One common problem is that the system does not always register exits from the EU

“When I was leaving Zurich, the system didn’t log my exit, so it appeared as if I had been in the EU the entire time. Chaos ensued when I tried to enter again,” one traveler reported.

Another traveler experienced a similar issue, being held at the French border for allegedly overstaying, even though his passport had an exit stamp.

There are also problems with biometrics. Passengers report that fingerprint scanners often fail, and e-gates are slow. In some cases, nine out of ten people could not successfully scan their fingerprints.

A family from Malaga missed their flight despite arriving early at the airport because they spent a long time first at the EES checkpoint and then at the baggage drop-off.

Additional complications arise due to technical details—dry fingers make fingerprint scanning difficult, and older passengers often struggle with the sensors.

Passengers frequently have trouble using the biometric kiosks, so in some cases it takes up to 50% longer than planned to get through.

Flights are now taking less time than passport control

At airports in Lisbon, Brussels, and Paris, waiting times reach up to five hours. In some cases, a flight lasts less than the time spent at passport control.

Dover and the Eurotunnel are particularly affected, where equipment shortages cause delays of up to six hours.

Passengers are advised to arrive at airports up to four hours early and to travel with carry-on luggage only to avoid additional delays.

Problems include broken kiosks, malfunctioning e-gates, staff shortages, and double waiting—first for biometrics, then for passport control.

The situation is further complicated by strikes. On 12 airports in Spain, ground staff are already on strike, causing delays and operational issues.

A strike of air traffic controllers is also announced, starting April 17 at midnight and lasting indefinitely, citing staff shortages, overload, and irregular schedules as reasons.

It is expected that the strike will further exacerbate flight delays and rescheduling.