Nine Schengen Countries Return to Manual Border Checks

Nine Schengen countries can temporarily switch back to manual passport checks. This affects Chinese travelers flying from Copenhagen through major European transit hubs. Hubs like Frankfurt, Amsterdam, and Paris may experience unexpected passport queues. Passengers should allow extra transfer time when traveling through these airports.

The European Union granted permission to nine member nations. These countries are France, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Greece, Italy, Malta, Portugal, and Switzerland. The decision follows major technical glitches in the digital Entry/Exit System. Server overloads caused multi-hour queues at several major European airports.

Border posts may alternate between biometric scans and manual checks. Travelers should keep their physical passports easily accessible during transit. (Source: FIDIFocus)