SchengenTracker Blog

Since 15 July 2026, the UK–EU treaty on Gibraltar has moved Schengen checks to the Rock's port and airport. The fence is down and the land border is open — and for UK drivers who don't live there, every day in Gibraltar now counts towards the 90.

Germany is checking all nine land borders until March 2027, and France has notified six more months from 1 November. The delays are usually minutes — but a passport check between two Schengen countries is not an exit, and the 90/180 count runs straight through it.

The UK and the EU meet in Brussels on 20 November to finalise deals on food, emissions trading and youth mobility. Professional drivers and the 90/180 rule are not on the published agenda. Here's what is, what isn't, and what to watch.

Europe's airports and airlines want six urgent EES fixes, from preventing duplicate traveller profiles to a permanent option to suspend checks. It's an aviation fight, but two of the demands go straight to how EES counts a UK driver's 90 days.

Brussels has ruled out a 90/180 exemption for truck drivers, London isn't asking for one, ETIAS has lost its 2026 launch date, and the temporary EES flexibility rules have expired. Four stories, one conclusion: the 90/180-day rule is here to stay.

On 5 September, masked protesters blocked every route into the Port of Dover — four miles of queues and 45-minute delays for freight before it cleared by midday. A Dover delay doesn't add Schengen days by itself, but the knock-on to return crossings can. Here's where it actually bites.

A fresh warning to US travellers about EES delays and confusion at European airports is really a warning to UK hauliers. Americans and Brits share the same third-country status — and the same biometric queues and 90/180-day enforcement.

The State of Schengen report confirms the EES flagged around 7,000 overstays in its first six months — detections the old passport-stamp system would have missed. For anyone tracking Schengen days on a spreadsheet, the margin for error is now zero.

On 23 May, the Port of Dover temporarily suspended additional EES checks after long delays. It eased the queue — but not the 90/180-day rule. Here's why hauliers can't bank on suspensions, and what to do instead this summer.

Footage of hours-long queues and missed flights for non-EU passport holders has gone global. UK citizens are non-EU travellers too — and every queue on screen is one UK drivers are already sitting in, with 90/180-day risk on top.

ABTA confirms EES is live, while ETIAS has slipped from late 2026 with no new date yet. Two different systems, one constant underneath: the 90/180-day rule. Here's what ABTA's traveller guidance means, translated for the haulage industry.

Greece has paused EES checks for Brits, Portugal and Italy are rumoured to follow, and Croatia is holding firm. The country-by-country patchwork is a trap: a suspension of checks is never a suspension of the 90/180-day rule.

On 10 April 2026 the European Commission declared the EES fully operational, with 52M+ entries and exits registered. The phased rollout is over — there's no longer any rollout to wait out. EES is the permanent reality of crossing into Europe.

Over 20 EU border crossings blockaded, 100+ drivers deported, and an estimated €100 million in daily losses. Western Balkan hauliers are protesting the strict enforcement of the 90/180-day rule under the EES — and the consequences are a warning for every UK haulage company.

Heading to the EU for the first time since the Entry/Exit System launched? Expect queues, fingerprint scans, and a photo on arrival. Here's what lorry drivers need to prepare for — plus what's coming next with ETIAS.

Since October 12, 2025, UK hauliers face major challenges from the EU's new Entry/Exit System (EES) and stricter enforcement of the 90/180-day Schengen rule.