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  "path": "/2026/05/12/greece-confirms-brits-wont-burdened-eus-biometric-airport-checks-this-summer-28334312/",
  "publishedAt": "2026-05-12T09:08:01.000Z",
  "site": "https://metro.co.uk",
  "tags": [
    "Lifestyle",
    "Travel",
    "Europe Travel",
    "Greece",
    "Travel News",
    "sail through Greek security this summer",
    "EU biometric requirements",
    "the BBC",
    "delays of up to four hours",
    "the EU’s new entry and exit system",
    "The Independent",
    "Metro Deals",
    "Get deal now",
    "Crete",
    "queue from hell at Milan airport last month",
    "easyJet",
    "EU",
    "@will_scott_23",
    "easyjet",
    "milanlinate",
    "travelling",
    "biometric",
    "biometricpassport",
    "♬ original sound – Will",
    "Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google\nAdd as preferred source"
  ],
  "textContent": "The Greek government are making it easy for holidaymakers to fly and flop this summer (Picture: Getty Images)\n\nBritish passport holders will be able to sail through Greek security this summer, thanks to the country’s tourism minister officially scrapping the new EU biometric requirements.\n\nOlga Kefalogianni told the BBC that her government did not want travellers to be ‘burdened’ by bureaucratic procedures when entering or leaving.\n\nInstead, she said holidaymakers will spend ‘less than a couple of minutes’ at security — gifting the 4.5 million Brits who visit Greece each year an easy start to their getaway.\n\nPreviously, holidaymakers were warned of airport delays of up to four hours because of the EU’s new entry and exit system (EES) that officially launched on April 10.\n\nIt requires people from the UK and other non-EU countries to be photographed and fingerprinted at EU airports and border points.\n\nMs Kefalogianni told The Independent that, ‘in the very beginning of the season we faced some delays in the whole process at the airports’.\n\n##  Best of Metro Deals\n\nGet exclusive discounts with Metro Deals – save on getaways and spa days. Powered by Wowcher\n\n**Bannatyne Spa** : Spa day for two with treatments, lunch & prosecco — save up to 57% off.\n\n Get deal now\n\n**Mystery Escape** : Hotel stay with return flights from as low as £92pp — save on worldwide holiday packages.\n\nGet deal now\n\n**Beach Retreat (Lanzarote)** : 4* Lanzarote beach holiday with flights — save up to 58%.\n\nGet deal now\n\nRoda tourist town on Corfu island, Greece (Picture: Julia Lavrinenko/Getty Images)\n\nEleni Skarveli, Director of the Greek National Tourism Organisation in the UK, said the decision to ditch EES would ‘ensure a smoother and more efficient arrival experience in Greece’ and slash waiting times.\n\nGiven that thousands of UK travellers arrive daily on islands such as Corfu, Crete and Rhodes, the move has been welcomed.\n\nAnd some believe other Mediterranean countries could follow suit.\n\nIt comes after holidaymakers were left vomiting and fainting in a queue from hell at Milan airport last month.\n\nAround 100 easyJet customers were stranded at Milan’s Linate airport due to delays caused by new border checks in the EU.\n\nThe airline said the disorder was ‘outside of our control’ and even delayed takeoff by almost an hour to try to give passengers extra time to board.\n\nStill, plenty of Brits were forced to find alternative routes home after some only discovered they had missed their flight once it had taken off without them.\n\n> @will_scott_23\n>\n> Absolutely shocking scenes in Milan Linate airport today 12/04/26. Had waited in a queue for 2 hours just to get to our gate when we were told that the flight had taken off without us. There were over 150 people not on that plane and less than 40 got onto it. Still stuck in Italy unsure wether we will get compensation for the hotel and new flight we’ve had to book. #easyjet #milanlinate #travelling #biometric #biometricpassport\n>\n> ♬ original sound – Will\n\n## What is the entry and exit EES system?\n\nThe entry and exit system is a digital system that replaces physical passport stamps at border points across the European Union.\n\nPeople with passports from non-EU countries, including the UK, are required to use the system.\n\nMost travellers from outside the EU, known as third-country nationals, will need to register their passport details and biometric data — which includes fingerprints and facial pictures — when crossing into an EU country for the first time.\n\nMany borders have now been kitted with self-service kiosks where travellers can input this information themselves.\n\nThis data, alongside the entry and exit details, will be stored for subsequent visits, and your record will be saved for three years.\n\nThis means future visits will only require a verification of the biometric data, which can speed up the process.\n\nHowever, if you get a new passport within those three years, you will need to re-register as the EES will be linked to your passport number.\n\nComment now Comments \nAdd Metro as a Preferred Source on Google\nAdd as preferred source\n",
  "title": "Greece confirms Brits won’t be ‘burdened’ by EU’s biometric airport checks this summer"
}