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1. Border checks at external borders may be relaxed as a result of exceptional and unforeseen circumstances. Such exceptional and unforeseen circumstances shall be deemed to be those where unforeseeable events lead to traffic of such intensity that the waiting time at the border crossing point becomes excessive, and all resources have been exhausted as regards staff, facilities and organisation.

2. Where border checks are relaxed in accordance with paragraph 1, border checks on entry movements shall in principle take priority over border checks on exit movements. The decision to relax checks shall be taken by the border guard in command at the border crossing point. Such relaxation of checks shall be temporary, adapted to the circumstances justifying it and introduced gradually.

3. Even in the event that checks are relaxed, the border guard shall enter the data in the EES, in accordance with Article 6a. Where the data cannot be entered by electronic means, it shall be entered manually.

3a. Where it is technically impossible to enter data in the Central System of the EES or in the event of the failure of the Central System of the EES, all of the following provisions shall apply:

(i) by way of derogation from Article 6a of this Regulation, the data referred to in Articles 16 to 20 of Regulation (EU) 2017/2226 shall be temporarily stored in the National Uniform Interface as defined in Article 7 of that Regulation. Where this is not possible, the data shall be temporarily stored locally in an electronic format. In both cases, the data shall be entered in the Central System of the EES as soon as the technical impossibility or failure has been remedied. The Member States shall take the appropriate measures and deploy the required infrastructure, equipment and resources to ensure that such temporary local storage may be carried out at any time and for any of their border crossing points. Without prejudice to the obligation to carry out border checks under this Regulation, in the exceptional situation that it is technically impossible to enter data in the Central System of the EES and in the National Uniform Interface, and it is technically impossible to temporarily store the data locally in an electronic format, the border guard shall manually store entry/exit data in accordance with Articles 16 to 20 of Regulation (EU) 2017/2226, with the exception of biometric data, and shall affix an entry or exit stamp in the travel document of the third-country national. That data shall be entered in the Central System of the EES as soon as technically possible. Member States shall inform the Commission, in accordance with Article 21(2) of Regulation (EU) 2017/2226, of the stamping of travel documents in the event of the exceptional situations referred to in the second subparagraph of this point;

(ii) by way of derogation from Article 8(3)(a)(iii) and (g)(iv) of this Regulation, for nationals of third countries holding a visa as referred to in Article 6(1)(b), where technically possible, the verification of the identity of the holder of the visa shall be carried out by consulting directly the VIS in accordance with Article 18 of Regulation (EC) No 767/2008.

4. Each Member State shall transmit once a year a report on the application of this Article to the European Parliament and the Commission.