Greece exempts Britons from EES biometric registration: will France follow suit?

Britons travelling to Greece will not need to undergo additional border registration checks linked to the EU’s new Entry/Exit System this summer, reducing the risks of lengthy queues.

A blanket lifting of EES biometric registration for Britons arriving at – and subsequent biometric checks on those departing from – Greek airports was confirmed by the Greek Embassy in the UK.

“We would like to inform you that within the framework of the new implementation of the Entry/Exit System (EES), as of April 10th 2026, British passport holders are excluded from biometric registration at Greek border crossing points,” the embassy posted on its website.

It means that Britons going to popular summer holiday destinations such as Corfu, Rhodes, and Crete, will not need to provide facial photos nor a fingerprint scan upon arrival. 

Tourism boost among EES fears

The changes have been made with an eye on “ensuring a smoother and more efficient arrival experience in Greece,” said director of the Greek National Tourism Organisation in the UK Eleni Skarveli, quoted in The Independent. 

It “is expected to significantly reduce waiting times and ease congestion at airports,” she added.

EES regulations – including the taking and checking of biometric information – have led to fears that increased queues would negatively impact the tourism industry in several European countries such as Greece, which are heavily reliant on British travellers. 

Almost five million Britons visited Greece in 2025, the majority during the peak summer season, and Athens was desperate to avoid losing out on the economic benefits of their arrival in 2026.

“Practically, [the decision] means that the entry process in place before the implementation of the EES will remain unchanged,” Ms Skarveli said.

This means, alongside an end to biometric registration and the taking of passport details, the manual checking and stamping of passports at manned border checkpoints (i.e in airports upon arrival).

It also means travellers will not need to scan their biometrics upon leaving Greece and returning to the UK, an issue that has caused delays and missed flights in several countries including Italy, Spain, and France. 

As of April 20, the exemptions are only in place for Britons travelling to Greece, and not passport holders from other nations that are required to register under EES such as Americans, Canadians or Australians.

Is France set to follow suit? 

The move no doubt will lead to tensions between Athens and Brussels – as well as other Mediterranean nations who may feel like they have been undercut in the race for British tourists.

The EU regulations state that EES must now be used for all entries and exits to/from the Schengen area of relevant travellers. The only exemption allowed at present is that border control staff may temporarily stop the collection of biometric data (fingerprints and facial image) if excessive queues build up.

This is only permitted for six-hour periods, and the stoppage is meant to be reported to the EU. Travellers’ passport details and logs of each entry/exit are still meant to be entered in the system.

These provisions may extend into September, at a maximum. 

There is nothing in the EU rules relating to cancelling the requirement to register passengers altogether, or implementing specific exemptions for certain nationalities. 

France has shown some willingness to bend the rules, with travellers in cars still not being entered in EES at the French checkpoints at the Port of Dover, for example, but there is no reason to assume it will copy Greece’s example in ending the system altogether for Britons.

However, there is speculation that Greece’s decision, continual warnings over busy summer queues, and economic reliance on UK tourists may see some other countries consider doing it, such as Portugal, Cyprus, and even larger countries such as Spain and Italy. 

France, less dependent on British tourists – recently retaining the top spot of biggest international tourist destination – may be less likely to consider doing so.

Outside of the Port of Dover, there has been no specific indication that other French border points are failing to register a significant category of travellers. 

The Connexion has heard of no reports of French airports or other crossings on the mainland persistently suspending EES checks either for Britons or other third-nation citizens, nor of any plans to fully suspend the system for Britons this summer.

However, general delegate of the Union des Aéroports Français (UAF) Nicolas Paulissen told The Connexion that many larger airports are turning off biometric registration for part of the day due to queues.

Airports remain concerned about the long-term impact of the regulations, particularly the period after the September 7 deadline for temporarily suspending biometric registration ends.