The European Union’s new biometric Exit/Entry System (EES) got off to a chaotic start at Prague’s international airport, with travelers facing lengthy queues and malfunctioning equipment forcing border staff to process arrivals manually.

Jim Moore, an employee relations expert at HR consultancy Hamilton Nash, spent nearly 90 minutes in the immigration queue at Vaclav Havel Airport on Sunday afternoon, 12 October – the day the service made its debut.

The self-service EES enrollment machines – designed to collect biometric data from non-EU travelers before passport control – were out of service, leaving officials to manually handle both the new registration requirements and standard border checks.

“The officials were having to do it themselves,” Moore told The Register. “It’s a classic multi-thread to single-thread problem.”

Moore avoided an even longer wait when staff called out for Australian and British passport holders, redirecting them to a desk normally reserved for EU citizens. There, officers bypassed the EES enrollment entirely and waved them through. “I managed to escape it,” he said.

After Moore tweeted a photo of the queue and warned a colleague arriving later to expect significant delays, the situation improved. By the time his colleague’s flight landed a couple of hours later, the EES machines were operational and the backlog had cleared.

Simon Calder, travel editor of The Independent, had a different experience. His Ryanair flight was scheduled to arrive ten minutes before the EES system went live at midnight but landed 25 minutes early. Despite deliberately waiting past midnight, Calder found the machines still weren’t activated and passed through passport control without enrolling in the new system.

The Entry/Exit System requires travelers aged 12 and above from non-EU countries to register fingerprints, facial biometrics, and passport information upon first arrival at any border within the 29-nation Schengen area. Enrollment is free and creates a record valid for three years. The EU plans to introduce a related scheme, the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS), in late 2026, which will require advance authorization and carry a €20 fee.

Prague Airport acknowledged the difficulties, posting a banner on its website stating: “Due to introduction of the Entry/Exit System (EES) effective 12th October 2025, longer waiting times at both arrival and departure border control might affect non-EU nationals.”

In response to passenger inquiries on social media, the airport warned that “in the initial phase of the EES, longer waiting times at border control may occur,” particularly when multiple flights arrive simultaneously or when large aircraft land.

Most Schengen countries are introducing EES gradually between now and March 2026, including three French border control posts on British soil at Dover, Folkestone, and London St Pancras station. However, the Czech Republic, Estonia, and Luxembourg opted for immediate implementation from day one.

Prague is a particularly popular destination for British travelers, with 2.1 million visiting the Czech capital in 2024 — a 29 percent increase on the previous year — making smooth border operations especially critical. ®