Greece ditches new border rules for Britons after chaos across Europe

Greece has suspended the use of EU fingerprint and facial scans for British holidaymakers amid queue chaos across Europe.

The new biometric security measures , which recently became fully operational, have resulted in airport delays of up to four hours.

Under the new entry and exit system (EES) introduced by Brussels, all travellers from non-EU countries, including the UK, are supposed to be photographed and fingerprinted at EU airports and border crossings.

However, in a bid to avoid the disruption during the height of summer, Greece has opted out.

Eleni Skarveli, director of the Greek National Tourism Organisation in the UK, said that the decision would "ensure a smoother and more efficient arrival experience in Greece" and would "significantly reduce waiting times" while alleviating congestion at airports.

The EES is intended to replace manual passport stamping and better monitor the 90-day visa-free limit - but has resulted in havoc at some of Europe's busiest airports.

Earlier this month, more than 120 EasyJet passengers were left stranded at Milan Linate Airport after lengthy delays caused them to miss their flight to Manchester.

Only 34 of the 156 passengers booked onto the flight made it on board, with EasyJet later issuing an apology.

One passenger told the BBC that she and her boyfriend faced a 20 hour wait in the airport for a replacement flight.

Keira, 17, from Oldham, said it was costing her mother about £520 for new flights, which will land at Gatwick instead of Manchester.

Kiera said: “We got here at 7.30am for our flight at 11am so were super early.

We got to Border Control and it was a massive queue of people.

I wasn't feeling great anyway because I think I'd got food poisoning.

“At about 10.50am they brought some water over for people, and when we got to the front of the queue someone asked us if we were going to Manchester, and told us our flight had just gone.

"There were only about 30 people got on the plane, and about 100 people didn't.”
Kiera said she had only been offered £12.25 in compensation after emailing the airline about their situation - less than the price of a sandwich.

UK holidaymakers faint and vomit during three-hour Milan airport border checks chaos
Starmer turns UK away from Trump's US as he's hit with Brexit row on closer EU ties
Rediscover your adventurous side on an exotic getaway
Adam Lomas, 33, was on holiday in Milan with his wife and their four-month-old daughter when they became stranded at the airport.

He said he tried to contact the airline but could only get through to “chatbots” who hung up on him after a few minutes due to “audio issues.”
Adam said his family were now trying to find a hotel and book a flight to London, where they would then have to get the train to Manchester, while other passengers had driven to Pisa to fly from there.

"The airport and Easyjet have spent hours arguing with each other about who is to blame," he added.

A statement on the website of the Greek Embassy and posts on official social media channels said: “Update for British passport holders travelling to Greece.

“In the framework of the implementation of the Entry/Exit System, as of 10 April 2026, British passport holders are exempt from biometric registration at Greek border crossing points.”
Greece has yet to confirm an end date for the exemption.

It is seen as a strategic move by Greece, which is heavily reliant on British tourism , particularly at hotspots such as Corfu, Crete and Rhodes, which can see more than 2,000 UK passengers a day in peak season.

The decision has prompted speculation that other Mediterranean countries could be encouraged to follow suit.

Luke Petherbridge, director of public affairs at travel trade organisation Abta, said: “While for many the travel experience remains smooth, we’re disappointed and frustrated to see some passengers being caught up in delays due to EES.

“Abta has been warning destinations and the (European) Commission for some time about the need for proactive steps to be taken to avoid delays, including the full use of contingency measures to stand down biometric checks at busier times, and adequate staffing especially at peak times.”
Travel experts have said that holidaymakers are already looking to change their plans for summer.

A spokesman for ABTA said: "Because of the war in the Middle East, Europe is seeing a big increase in interest as a holiday destination this year.”
ABTA added that Greece was expected to be the fifth most-visited destination by Brits this summer, behind Spain, France, Italy and the USA.