British families should prepare for chaos this weekend as UK officials say they have still not been told which EU countries will introduce new border arrangements
Travellers visiting places such as Spain, Portugal and Italy are being urged to prepare for four-hour queues the Entry Exit System comes into force on Sunday.
The EES involves Britons and other third-party citizens registering at the EU border by scanning their passport and having their fingerprints and photograph taken at an electronic booth to enter the Schengen area, which consists of 29 European countries.
Passengers may also have to answer a series of questions about travel plans, including whether they have a place to stay, have bought travel insurance and have sufficient funds to cover their trip.
Answering “no” to any of those, could lead to a border guard quiz.
For most UK travellers the EES process will be done at foreign airports, however, London has not been formally notified which countries are rolling it out.
Julia Lo Bue-Said, chief executive of Advantage Travel Partnership, a network of independent travel agents, said: “For major airports in southern Europe, we recommend that travellers now allocate four hours for navigating the new system in these initial stages.”
She warned that “delays should be anticipated” at border controls when multiple flights arrive at similar times, and “we foresee potentially overwhelming volumes of travellers during the initial roll-out”.
She added: “This should settle over the next few weeks as staff and travellers familiarise themselves with the new procedures.”
Rory Boland, editor of consumer magazine Which? Travel, said: “Longer waits are expected at border control on arrival so you should allow more time when you land by booking later transfers or other onward travel.”
The Home Office said the extra checks “should only take one to two minutes” to complete but warned they may lead to “longer waits at busy times”.
UK travellers boarding international services from London’s St Pancras railway station, the Port of Dover and Eurotunnel’s Folkestone terminal will complete EES checks in the UK.
New kiosks have been installed at those locations but only some passengers will be required to use them from this weekend.
Some countries have publicly announced they will be implementing EES for all arrivals and departures from day one, including Estonia, Luxembourg and the Czech Republic.
Meanwhile, Spain will initially only test the EES with a single flight arriving at Madrid airport on the first day of the system.
The EU is rolling out EES in a phased manner, with participating states initially only required to use the system for a proportion of their arrivals.
The deadline for full implementation is April 10 next year.
Aviation minister Keir Mather said: “Our priority is to minimise disruption for travellers and hauliers, particularly at our busiest border crossings.”
An individual’s EES registration will be valid for three years although their details will still be verified on each trip in that period.
The system will eventually replace the need for border officers to stamp passports.
Mark Tanzer, chief executive of travel trade organisation Abta, said: “In the longer term, EES should make processes quicker and simpler for travel to Europe.
“Looking at the short term, given the scale of the operation, there may be some delays, particularly at peak travel times.
“But countries will be stepping up their processes gradually and have the option to stand down the system to avoid significant and lengthy waiting times.
“We ask that countries remain vigilant and use this contingency measure where needed.”
