The European Union's new Entry/Exit System or EES was set to go into effect for travelers entering as many as 29 participating countries across the bloc next month.
However, the new biometric system has been delayed due to IT issues, with key countries such as Germany, France and the Netherlands still working to get their border computer systems up to speed.
"November 10 is no longer on the table," EU Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson told reporters this week, according to Reuters.
Additionally, a spokesperson for the German interior ministry said the three countries would not be prepared on November 10 because "necessary stability and functionality of the EES central system to be provided by the EU agency EU-Lisa is not yet in place."
Following the EES introduction, the European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS) was expected to roll out in the first half of 2025. It remains to be seen whether the EES delay will push back the ETIAS introduction.
Whenever it does arrive, the EES promises a more efficient border-crossing system.
"When that happens, it will be goodbye to passport stamping, hello to digital checks for all passengers from outside the EU—making travel easier and border checks gradually faster," Johansson said earlier this year. "At every single airport, every single harbor and every single road into Europe, we will have digital border controls—all connected, all switched on at the very same time."
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