The EES, introduced this year, requires travellers from outside the Schengen Area, including UK passport holders, to register their facial image and fingerprints when entering participating European countries. Many airports now use self-service biometric kiosks to speed up the process, but not everyone is able to complete the registration successfully.

As reported by The Telegraph, several readers have reported being unable to register their fingerprints, particularly older passengers whose fingerprints have become less defined over time.

One of them said the kiosks at Palma de Mallorca Airport repeatedly failed to recognise her fingerprints despite several attempts and assistance from airport staff. She believes the problem is linked to age, as the ridges on her fingertips have become less pronounced.

After the unsuccessful attempts, she was directed to a separate queue for manual border checks, where she faced a lengthy wait before being allowed to continue her journey.

Similar difficulties

Another traveller experienced similar difficulties at Salzburg Airport. She said the machines were unable to read her fingerprints both when entering and leaving the country, delaying not only her own journey but also other passengers waiting behind her. She later discovered that she has no usable fingerprints and suggested there should be a standard procedure across the EU for people in the same situation.

Long queues have also been reported in Italy. One British traveller told The Telegraph that after registering at biometric kiosks in Naples, both he and his wife were sent to a manual inspection queue that barely moved. The line stretched outside the terminal while other queues continued to progress much faster.

After waiting for around two hours, the couple eventually joined another queue where airport staff allowed them to pass through much more quickly. He estimated that remaining in the original queue could have resulted in a wait of several more hours.

Struggling with fingerprints

There are several reasons why fingerprint scanners may struggle to recognise some travellers. One of the most common is simply age. As we get older, the ridges on our fingertips gradually become less defined, making them harder for biometric scanners to read. People who have spent years doing manual work may also find that their fingerprints have become worn over time.

Some medical conditions can also play a role. Certain chemotherapy treatments are known to permanently affect fingerprints, while a very rare genetic condition called adermatoglyphia means some people are born without the usual fingerprint patterns.

Travellers have also pointed to the technology itself. Some believe the scanners become less reliable after being used continuously throughout the day, with dirty or greasy screens making it more difficult to capture fingerprints accurately.

When asked about the issue, the European Commission referred The Telegraph to Article 17 of the EES Regulation, which states that people for whom fingerprinting is physically impossible are exempt from providing fingerprints.

Unable to provide fingerprints

The Commission also says that travellers who are temporarily unable to provide fingerprints should have this recorded and may be asked to complete fingerprint registration at a later border crossing. EU member states are expected to have procedures in place that ensure travellers are treated with dignity when difficulties arise during biometric checks.

However, the Commission did not comment on whether additional measures should be introduced to prevent affected passengers from facing long waits at border control.

Fingerprint recognition is not the only challenge linked to the new border system. As stated by The Telegraph, campaign group Twins Trust has also raised concerns that facial recognition software can sometimes struggle to distinguish between identical twins, causing further delays.

Meanwhile, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has previously warned that queues at European borders could reach several hours during busy travel periods, with airports in Spain, Portugal, France and Italy expected to experience some of the greatest pressure.