France Activates EU Biometric Check Suspension at CDG and Orly Airports Amid 90/180-Day Rule Backlash

Paris, May 4, 2026—France has suspended biometric checks under the EU's Entry/Exit System (EES) at Paris-Charles-de-Gaulle (CDG) and Orly airports, offering relief to non-EU travelers facing the strict 90 in 180 day stay limitswww.visahq.comwww.visahq.com. The move comes after weeks of technical glitches since the system's full rollout on April 10, 2026, which replaced passport stamps with fingerprint and facial scans to enforce visa-free overstay rules for visitors from countries like the UK, US, and Australia. Airport operator Group ADP announced the temporary halt to biometric enrollment when queues exceed 45 minutes, reverting to manual processing to ease peak-season congestion.

The EES, designed to track the 90 in 180 day allowance electronically, hit immediate snags with 2,300 new kiosks crashing repeatedly at CDG's Terminal 2E and Orly, leading to waits over 90 minutes and even three-hour delays over the April 11-12 weekend. Airlines for Europe and ACI Europe labeled it a "systemic failure," urging the European Commission for a full suspension through summer, while French border police unions highlighted understaffing despite overnight installations. Travelers reported missing flights, prompting advice for frequent flyers to arrive four hours early with machine-readable passports.

Looking ahead, France plans a "red lane" trial at CDG this summer for preregistered corporate travelers on Air France and Delta flights, aiming to streamline future EES use alongside the delayed ETIAS authorization in 2027. The Interior Ministry views the system as key to smarter borders, redirecting officers to risk profiling, though employers' group MEDEF pushes for data reuse to cut repeat scans. This suspension underscores ongoing teething issues in the €1.3 billion project, with manual stamping quietly reinstated as a stopgap.