New EU border rules which would force British tourists to submit fingerprints and facial biometrics have been postponed indefinitely.
Brussels will now investigate the possibility of a new approach phasing in the system gradually over time but that will not begin on November 10.
It is the third time it has been postponed but this time no new deadline has been set.
The European Commission said the deadline for the Entry/Exit System (EES) would be delayed a month before it was due to come into force after a meeting of EU interior ministers in Luxembourg on Thursday.
Germany, France and the Netherlands had said they were not ready to roll out the new electronic replacement for wet-stamping the passports of non-EU citizens entering the Schengen Zone.
Ylva Johansson, the Commissioner for Home Affairs, said there were “some concerns when it comes to the resilience of the system”.
The three countries are responsible for 40 per cent of all inward traffic to the EU and have faced IT difficulties.
There have also been warnings the EES will lead to long queues when first introduced because of the need to submit the biometric data.
The latest delay comes just days after Spain warned the UK the new rules would mean a hard border with Gibraltar and urged London to cave to its demands over a post-Brexit deal making the Rock part of Schengen.
“10th of November is no longer on the table,” Ms Johanason said after the meeting of interior ministers.
“I hope we can start as soon as possible but there’s no new timeline so far. This also depends on the legal assessment that we will do and we’re working on it right now.”
Ms Johannsson said the EES could be introduced “with a little step by step going into the system, not a Big Bang of all border crossing points at the same time.”
However, that could throw up legal problems because the original regulations were not written with that approach in mind.
“The Commission has been given a mandate to work on a phased approach for the rollout, which might require some legal tweaks. So the Commission now has some homework to do,” a diplomat from one member state told the Telegraph.
The EES was meant to be introduced in summer last year but was delayed amid French concerns over disruption for visitors to the Paris Olympics and Rugby World Cup. It was rescheduled for October 6 before being delayed again to November 10.
It will apply to non-EU citizens, including Britons, entering the passport-free Schengen Zone for visits, holidays and business trips for a stay of up to 90 days within a 180 day period
All entries and exits will be recorded. Once it is working, visitors will have to provide passports, have their face photographed and fingerprints scanned electronically.
The system is meant to help crack down on people overstaying short term visas and identity fraudsters.
The Schengen Zone consists of most, but not all, of the EU’s 27 member states as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway. Bulgaria and Romania are expected to join soon.
The UK was never a member of Schengen when it was a member state. EU members Ireland, which has a Common Travel Area with the UK, and Cyprus are the only EU states which are not Schengen members and passports will continue to be stamped manually there.