Biometric border checks return to Italian airports

The expiry of a waiver allowing border guards to pause new EU biometric passport checks at busy times could mean longer queues at Italy's airports, according to The Local Italy. The rule, which lapsed over the weekend, removes a flexibility that had been used to keep traffic moving during peak periods at entry points across the Schengen area.

The Entry/Exit System (EES), which registers the biometric data of non-EU travellers, has been rolled out gradually, with a provision that allowed border authorities to temporarily suspend the checks when queues became unmanageable. The Local Italy reported that Monday, September 7th, marked a key date for the full enforcement of the system, raising concerns that border checks could become slower and more congested.

The Local Italy's report on the EES waiver's end focuses on the potential for longer queues at Italian airports, where biometric checks are now applied without the option of a pause.

The EES system is designed to strengthen security at the EU's external borders by tracking the movements of non-EU nationals, but its rollout has been fraught with logistical difficulties. Previous reports have noted that the checks require travellers to register fingerprints and facial images, a process that takes longer than a traditional passport stamp and has caused bottlenecks at major entry points across Europe.

The Local Italy's report suggests that the full enforcement of EES will be tested in the coming weeks as autumn travel picks up. For the moment, no specific guidance has been issued for land crossings, but authorities and transport operators will be watching closely for signs of congestion as the system settles into its new, less flexible phase.