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One in four Brits still unaware EES is live | Company News

Travellers queuing at passport control
Company news · 4 min read · April 2026

One in four Brits still unaware EES is live

New research from Holiday Extras reveals 28% of British travellers don't know the EU's Entry/Exit System is now compulsory — as queues grow and flights are being missed at Schengen borders.

Short on time? Let us summarise this press release for you.

With the EU's new Entry/Exit System (EES) now compulsory across the Schengen Area, holidaymakers are facing longer queues and even missing flights due to airports struggling with the technology. But many holidaymakers are still unsure how EES works — or that it is even live.

New research commissioned by Holiday Extras — the UK's market leader in holiday extras including airport hotels, airport parking and travel insurance — reveals that 28% of Brits did not know about EES, with a quarter (25%) still unsure on how it impacts them.

This marks only a small increase in knowledge since the introduction of the scheme in October 2025, when 35% of travellers reported they were unaware of EES. This could result in a large portion of travellers arriving in Europe this summer with no idea what to expect.

Introducing QueueIQ

To help UK travellers prepare for potential queues and make decisions for their next trip, Holiday Extras has created QueueIQ — a tool designed to show travellers their estimated wait time in passport control.

QueueIQ comes as EES queues continue to grow, helping both holidaymakers and business travellers to plan for onward travel and arrangements at their destination.

Understanding of EES remains incomplete

Among those aware of EES, understanding of its impact has also grown — but remains incomplete. Around 61% of April respondents agreed they knew EES would create longer processing times, up from 55% in September 2025.

Despite EES processing happening at the EU destination, roughly four in ten travellers are opting to arrive at least three hours before their UK inbound flight, with some choosing to arrive four hours before.

More than a third (36%) of travellers remain uncertain or unaware that biometric registration is now a requirement, or that passport stamping has been replaced.

Travellers are adapting — not abandoning their holidays

The proportion of British travellers who say they have already changed their plans because of EES has grown from 31% in September to 35% in April. The nature of those changes is evolving: switching to a non-Schengen destination has doubled, while full cancellations have fallen slightly — suggesting travellers are adapting rather than abandoning their holidays altogether.

When it comes to the technical and data side of EES, 37% of travellers are uncomfortable with their biometrics being gathered, up from 35% the previous year. Two in five travellers will also miss their passport being stamped.

Greece makes the first move

The backdrop to all of this is the news that Greece has unilaterally opted British passport holders out of biometric registration entirely.

The Greek Embassy in London confirmed that, as of 10 April 2026, British passport holders are exempt from biometric registration at Greek border crossing points. Border staff will return to the previous method — a brief passport check followed by a stamp — keeping processing times to around 15 seconds rather than several minutes per person.

For Holiday Extras, the move underlines both the scale of the disruption EES has caused and the commercial logic of minimising friction for British tourists. The past weeks of airport chaos were seen as a direct threat to Greece's peak summer season, with hundreds of thousands of UK visitors expected at destinations including Corfu, Crete and Rhodes.

Matthew Pack, Group CEO at Holiday Extras, said:

"Greece's decision to suspend EES checks for UK travellers is exactly the kind of common sense we've been calling for. The system was always well-intentioned, but the reality at the border — long queues, missed flights and frustrated families — was never acceptable.

"Holidaymakers don't go to Greece to queue; they go to enjoy the sea, the food and the culture, and every unnecessary minute lost at passport control chips away at that experience. We expect Greece to be the first of many destinations to step back and ask whether the bureaucratic cost is really worth it, and we'd urge others to follow suit.

"At Holiday Extras, we're in the business of making travel smoother from the moment people leave home — and a border system that reliably derails journeys before they've even started runs counter to everything that should make European travel great."

To learn more about the Entry/Exit System, visit www.holidayextras.com/tips-and-advice/how-to-get-ready-for-ees.

For forecast queue times at airports, visit www.holidayextras.com/queueiq.html.

For more information on airport parking, hotels, lounges, fast track and more, visit www.holidayextras.com.

Notes to Editors

Research method: Survey of 1,500 UK holidaymakers, conducted in September 2025 and April 2026.

About Holiday Extras: Holiday Extras is the only place to go for your holiday extras, offering the best choice, value and service in the market. Its AI-powered, hyper-connected and ultra-personalised app transforms ordinary trips into extraordinary journeys by finding the right airport parking, airport hotels, lounges, transfers, insurance, car hire and other holiday extras for every trip. Established in 1983, Holiday Extras makes bookings for over 8 million travellers each year. The company has been listed eleven times in The Sunday Times 100 Best Companies to Work For.

Press contact: For more information, contact the Holiday Extras PR team at GOLD79: [email protected]


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