Canada Warns Travelers as Nordic and Mediterranean States Tighten Schengen Checks

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Travelers heading to Europe this summer are being urged to brace for tighter Schengen border checks, widespread biometric screening and mounting queues, as Sweden, Finland, Spain and Croatia step up implementation of the European Union’s new Entry/Exit System while Canada issues updated warnings about surveillance and delays across the continent’s airports and land crossings.

New EU Entry/Exit System Reshapes Border Experience

Across the Schengen area, the European Union’s Entry/Exit System, fully rolled out at external borders in 2026 after its launch phase began in October 2025, is reshaping how non EU nationals enter and leave Europe. Publicly available information from Europol and national authorities describes the system as a biometric database that records each traveler’s passport details, dates and places of entry and exit, facial image and fingerprints.

The technology is designed to replace manual passport stamping, automatically calculate permitted stays and reduce document fraud. Reports indicate that the system already registers hundreds of thousands of movements, with checks now in place at airports, seaports and major land crossings used by visitors from Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom and other visa exempt countries.

However, aviation and border industry briefings, along with on the ground media coverage, show that the transition has not been seamless. Bottlenecks at biometric kiosks, technical outages and unfamiliarity among occasional travelers have contributed to queues running into several hours at some peak periods, particularly during school holidays and long weekends.

European airport associations have repeatedly urged travelers to arrive earlier than before for flights into or out of the Schengen zone and to be prepared for initial registration to take noticeably longer than a traditional passport stamp, especially on a first trip since the system went live.

Sweden and Finland Extend Internal Controls While Scaling Up Biometrics

In the Nordic region, Sweden has become one of the most prominent examples of a Schengen state using both the new biometric regime at external borders and prolonged internal border checks. Government press releases and European Commission documents show that Stockholm has repeatedly extended temporary controls at certain internal borders, citing security concerns and migration management.

The Swedish Police Authority explains in its public guidance that the force is responsible for checks at external borders and that personal data associated with foreign nationals may be processed in connection with both external and internal controls. This sits alongside the nationwide rollout of Entry/Exit infrastructure at major airports such as Stockholm Arlanda and at key ferry and land crossings used by travelers from neighboring non Schengen states.

Finland, which sits on a long external frontier with non EU countries as well as operating busy air links to Asia and North America, is also advancing the use of biometric systems at its external borders. Public information from Finnish authorities highlights preparations for Entry/Exit kiosks and facial image capture at key airports, with travelers advised to expect more structured, technology driven checks than in previous years.

For visitors heading to the Nordic region from Canada and other long haul markets, these changes mean that even routine intra Schengen movements, such as flights within Scandinavia or crossings from neighboring countries, can now involve more identity verification and occasional delays where internal controls remain in force.

Spain Confronts Airport Congestion Under Biometric Regime

Spain, one of Europe’s busiest tourist destinations, is emerging as an early test case for how the new border regime operates under heavy leisure travel demand. Advice aimed at residents and long stay visitors, as well as local media coverage around airports such as Madrid Barajas and Barcelona, point to periods of significant congestion at automated border gates and biometric kiosks since late 2025.

Reports note that technical failures at some Spanish airports in the 2025 to 2026 winter season forced temporary reversion to manual passport stamping while the Entry/Exit database remained in the background. Even where the system ran as intended, travelers arriving from the United Kingdom, North America and other non EU countries have described slow moving lines as each passenger completes fingerprint and facial scans for the first time.

Industry guidance indicates that Spanish border authorities now have the option during peak travel waves to temporarily scale back or sequence Entry/Exit checks in order to keep queues manageable, although the underlying database remains mandatory for new registrations. This has created a patchwork experience in which some flights face full biometric procedures and others encounter a hybrid of automated and traditional checks.

Tourism operators in Spain are advising long haul guests to allow additional time when connecting from non Schengen flights to domestic services, warning that delays at the first point of entry into the zone can cascade into missed onward flights or rushed transfers.

Croatia Faces Long Queues at Land Borders

Croatia, which joined the Schengen area for land and sea borders in 2023, is now applying the Entry/Exit System to busy crossings with non EU neighbors including Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro. National broadcasters and regional outlets have documented long lines of cars and buses at checkpoints such as Karasovići on the Adriatic coast since biometric registration became compulsory for most third country nationals.

Coverage from Croatian public media describes scenes where coach passengers are required to disembark and pass one by one through kiosks to have their faces scanned and fingerprints taken, adding many minutes to each vehicle’s processing time. Border officers then carry out a brief verification using the new database before travelers are allowed to continue.

Travel information platforms focused on Croatia now routinely warn that first time visitors from outside the EU should factor in a five to fifteen minute registration per person at external Schengen crossings, on top of any routine questioning or customs inspections. During busy summer weekends, that time can multiply significantly as queues form at limited numbers of biometric booths.

For Canadian tourists driving from neighboring Balkan states into Croatia’s coastal resorts, this means that what once felt like a quick frontier hop can now involve prolonged waits, particularly in heat and with limited facilities. Travel planners are encouraging visitors to carry water, allow extra daylight hours for cross border drives and build flexibility into accommodation check in times.

Canada Highlights Surveillance and Delay Risks for Its Citizens

The Government of Canada has updated its public travel advice for European destinations such as Croatia and other Schengen states to reflect the new security environment. The advisories note a persistent terrorism threat in Europe and outline the progressive introduction of Entry/Exit and the forthcoming European Travel Information and Authorisation System, both of which involve extensive data collection on foreign nationals.

Canadian guidance explains that travelers entering the Schengen zone are now subject to biometric recording and more detailed electronic tracking of their movements. While the stated objectives are improved border management and crime prevention, the advisory language encourages citizens to be aware of privacy implications and to understand that their facial images and fingerprints may be retained in European databases for several years.

The same notices flag the possibility of significant delays at airports and land borders as the new systems are scaled up and as staff adapt to unfamiliar procedures. Travelers are urged to allow extra time for check in and security, particularly during holidays and major events, and to monitor local media for information about disruptions at specific border crossings.

For Canadians planning trips to Sweden, Finland, Spain or Croatia in the coming seasons, these developments point to a more controlled, surveillance intensive border environment than in the pre pandemic era. While most travelers are still expected to enter and exit without incident, the combination of tightened internal controls, sophisticated biometric screening and infrastructure growing pains is set to remain a defining feature of European travel for the foreseeable future.