As the European Union rolls out its long-planned entry and exit system (EES), travellers arriving at Schengen borders are being met not with seamless efficiency but with hour-long queues and mounting frustration.
The Schengen area — which includes most EU countries along with Iceland, Norway, and Switzerland — has introduced a new digital border control system that has changed the way UK citizens will travel from today on.
In order to gather biometric information from visitors prior to passport control, border registration machines have been deployed in Terminal 1.
Instead of using kiosks, authorities have mandated staff members begin registering biometrics at their posts.
People from Turkey, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates have reported waiting up to an hour in queue as a result of this.
EES has been part of the European Union’s new border security plan since before Brexit. The new rules apply to all non-EU nationals travelling for a short stay in Schengen Area countries.
However, they do not apply to holders of residence permits and long-stay visas, those exempt from border checks (i.e heads of state, cross-border workers), some training/research/study travels and non-EU nationals with residence cards and immediate relations to EU nationals. The full list of exemptions can be found on the EU website.
But for those that will be affected, here’s everything we know.
What are the new rules for European travel?
From today (Sunday, October 12), UK citizens face having to provide fingerprints and have a photo taken on their first visit to the Schengen Area at the port or airport on arrival.
If you are flying, the checks will take place on arrival to the country. However, if you are entering from the Port of Dover, Eurotunnel at Folkestone or St Pancras International, EES checks will be completed at the border, before you leave the UK. You may also need to provide either your fingerprint or photo when you leave the Schengen Area.
This digital record is then valid for three years. If you enter the Schengen Area again during this period, you will only need to provide a fingerprint or photo at the border, when entering and exiting. Children under the age of 12 will not have to give fingerprints.
The digital border scheme is expected be rolled out over the space of 180 days - from the end of this week to April 9 2026.
What is the EES?
The EES is an automated IT system which has been brought into place in order to make it easier to register non-EU nationals who are travelling to the EU for a short stay. A short stay is considered to be any time running up to 90 days within any 180-day period.
The system will note the passenger's name, the type of travel document they are using, biometric data including fingerprints and captured facial images and the date of place of entry and exit.
It will replace the current system of manually stamping passports, as your file will now be stored digitally in the EU system - so scanning the passport will suffice.
The EU has said the new system will eventually modernise the management of its borders and lead to an improved, easier, and quicker experience for travellers.
It is designed to combat identity fraud and spot overstayers to the EU, as well as strengthen security within the bloc.
The system will be used by the 29 countries in the Schengen Area, which guarantees free movement to its 450 million EU citizens.
Schengen Area countries where the new travel rules will apply
- Austria
- Belgium
- Bulgaria
- Czechia
- Croatia
- Denmark
- Estonia
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Hungary
- Iceland
- Italy
- Latvia
- Lithuania
- Liechtenstein
- Luxemburg
- Malta
- Norway
- The Netherlands
- Poland
- Portugal
- Romania
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
Do the EES travel rules apply to airports only?
The EES will operate at train and ferry ports too. The system will be put in place at the Port of Dover and Eurostar as well as the Eurotunnel terminals in the UK.
There will be self-service kiosks in St Pancras station for Eurostar passengers, but passengers will have to get out of their cars to register at the Eurotunnel terminal in Folkestone, Kent.
In Dover, car passengers will be provided tablet computers to register and can remain in their vehicles, but coach passengers will have to disembark and use kiosks.
Delays
There have been warnings that the introduction could mean delays, while it is initially rolled 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”.
The Foreign Office says: "EES may take each passenger a few extra minutes to complete so be prepared to wait longer than usual at the border once the system starts."
They have added that the data of those travelling will normally be erased from the system three years after their last trip to an EU country using the EES.
