Schiphol restores passport control after missed flights
The fault in the automated border control system has been resolved, but the airport continued to warn of long queues.
Follow-up to: Failure brings electronic passport control at Schiphol to a standstill Sunday, 18 October 2026, 13:02
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A fault in the electronic passport control system at Schiphol was resolved on Sunday afternoon. According to the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee, the eGates are working again, but hundreds of travellers had earlier missed their flights because of the queues. The airport continued to warn travellers of delays on departure and when making connections.
The fault affected the so-called eGates, the automatic gates that travellers use to have their passports checked. The Royal Netherlands Marechaussee reported on Sunday that the systems were temporarily unavailable. Passports therefore had to be checked manually at desks, significantly reducing capacity at border control.
Schiphol issued a warning in the morning about longer waiting times. Travellers departing from or transferring at the airport were advised to check their flight information and contact their airline. NU.nl reported that several hundred passengers missed their flights.
At 2.30 pm, the Marechaussee reported that the ICT fault had been resolved and that all eGates were functioning again. This restored automated checks, but the accumulated crowds did not disappear immediately. The airport therefore warned that queues and congestion could continue for some time.
The fault mainly affected travellers heading to destinations outside the Schengen area and passengers transferring at Schiphol who had to pass through border control again. Those travelling within the Schengen area generally do not pass through passport control, although exceptions may apply depending on the route.
The cause of the fault was not explained in the public reports. It is also not yet clear exactly how many flights were missed or whether airlines were able to rebook travellers. The incident does show how dependent the airport is on digital border systems: when automatic gates fail, manual checks must handle a large volume of travellers.
For travellers still using Schiphol on Sunday, the most important thing remains the latest flight information. The airport and the Marechaussee have given no indication that the eGates will fail again, but the remaining crowds may make processing times longer than usual.
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The official reports confirm both the fault and its resolution. The article leaves out unconfirmed details about the cause and exact numbers.
- confirmed The fault affected Schiphol's electronic eGates. — Confirmed by the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee. source
- confirmed The eGates were operational again at 2.30 pm. — Time mentioned in the Marechaussee's update. source
- confirmed The fault caused longer queues. — Confirmed by Schiphol and the Marechaussee. source
- confirmed Several hundred travellers missed their flights. — Reported by NU.nl; not specified further in the official reports. source
Editor's note
The fault and the time at which the eGates were working again have been officially confirmed. The number of missed flights and the precise cause have not been specified by the airport or the Marechaussee.Sources
The story so far
- Sunday, 18 October 2026, 13:02 Failure brings electronic passport control at Schiphol to a standstill
- Sunday, 18 October 2026, 15:40 Schiphol restores passport control after missed flights (this article)
More on this in Dutch media
- NOS — „schiphol paspoortcontrole”
- Het Parool — „schiphol paspoortcontrole”
- Trouw — „schiphol paspoortcontrole”