EES border queues in the EU: how long the wait, any relief

Summer is at the door, and with it a sight that became routine this spring: long queues at the European Union’s borders. The reason is EES, the new entry and exit system that has been fully operational since 10 April 2026 and that has changed the way the EU’s external border is crossed.

For travelers from Serbia, that means counting on longer waits, especially on a first entry into the zone. But Serbia is not the only one affected. Although EU citizens themselves are not covered by the new registration, they too stand in the same, slower lines, because the congestion at crossings and airports is shared.

What EES is and why it creates queues

EES (Entry/Exit System) is an automated system that electronically records the entries and exits of travelers from non-EU countries, instead of the previous manual passport stamping. On first registration, a facial image and fingerprints are taken, along with travel-document data. It was introduced gradually from 12 October 2025, and full application began on 10 April 2026 across 29 countries.

It is precisely that first registration that creates the bottleneck, since it takes far longer per traveler than an ordinary stamp. The consequences are clearest at land crossings toward Serbia and at major airports:

• at Horgos toward Hungary, the average wait rose from a previous 4 to 5 hours to about 6 to 7,
• at Batrovci toward Croatia, trucks waited between 2 and 5 hours through May, depending on the day,
• at airports such as Paris Charles de Gaulle, Madrid and Barcelona, queues of several hours are recorded at peak times, while at Amsterdam and Frankfurt maximum waits rose from 90 to 120 minutes.

That the problem goes beyond any single country is a message coming from Serbia too. The Ministry of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure says trucks spend between 26 and 28 million hours a year at crossings toward the EU.

This problem largely goes beyond our own backyard and has to be solved at the level of the European Union and the European Commission, said Ranko Sekularac of the ministry.

Will there be relief for the summer season?

There will be, but unevenly and from place to place. The EES legal framework itself provides for flexibility: when queues become excessive, a border crossing may temporarily suspend the taking of biometrics for up to six hours, an option valid until July, with a conditional extension to September. If the system fails, manual stamping is a mandatory fallback.

Some countries are already using that flexibility. Spanish airports revert to manual stamping at peak times, and Greece went a step further and announced that during the summer it would not carry out EES checks for British tourists, which the European Commission called a unilateral move without approval. The Commission says the rules do not provide for permanent exemptions by nationality, but that fallback procedures exist for states to rely on. Airlines, among them Ryanair and easyJet, are asking for the system to be temporarily suspended during the busiest period.

For Serbian citizens traveling to the EU this summer, a few things are useful to know:

• the first registration with a photo and fingerprints is done on the first entry after the rollout, while later crossings are faster,
• the biggest land jams are at Horgos and Batrovci, while Kelebija is as a rule considerably faster,
• for flights, the advice is to arrive two to three hours early and to avoid short connections through the most congested European airports,
• the experience varies from day to day, as countries switch biometrics on and off depending on the crowds.

Serbia has, officials say, also submitted proposals to the European Commission, seeking a special status for professional drivers and a faster flow of people and goods. Until then, patience at the border is becoming part of the summer journey.

So how are you planning your trip abroad this summer, are you counting on longer waits at the border or choosing alternative crossings?