Greece suspends EES making British travellers exempt from biometric checks

Greece has taken the decision to exempt British travellers from the biometric checks required by the EES (Entry Exit System), which should have been fully operational throughout the Schengen area on April 10^th.

As a result, British tourists crossing Greek borders will continue to be treated under the previous system, involving wet stamping of passports and ID checks by border agents. Greek authorities hope that this will alleviate delays during the busy summer season.

Problems with the EES system, mainly due to staffing issues and technical problems with machines, have led to delays throughout Europe in recent months, with Lisbon suspending biometric checks earlier this year and other border points in the UK, France and the Netherlands also postponing the system. 

Earlier this year, the EU responded to widespread criticism of the new system by permitting member states to introduce contingency measures allowing them to postpone the scheme for up to 150 days beyond the April 10^th deadline, but laid down a final deadline in September.

However, there is currently no indication that Spain may follow in the footsteps of Greece, despite persistent complaints of long queues at airports such as Lanzarote, Tenerife and Mallorca.