BRUSSELS — Travelers arriving in the European Union from non-member countries should prepare for prolonged waits beginning Sunday, as the bloc implements its new automated Entry/Exit System (EES) procedure. This system is designed to enhance border control efficiency but may initially lead to significant delays.
Montserrat Barriga, director general of the European Regions Airline Association, highlighted that “Airlines feeding into the big hubs run on tight schedules, so even a few minutes delay at border control can throw off connections.” The EES will be gradually introduced over the next six months, which means that not all entry points will adopt the system simultaneously.
What to expect with the new Entry/Exit System
Under this new procedure, non-EU nationals will face extended processing times at passport control. They will either need to interact with a border control officer or utilize self-service kiosks at major airports, ports, and international train stations to provide their fingerprints and have their photos taken. After the initial registration, travelers will not need to go through this process again at internal Schengen borders, as their data will be securely stored and used for future entries and exits.
The EES system will retain biometric data for three years, extending to five years if an exit is not recorded. This initiative is being rolled out across all Schengen zone countries, which includes EU member states as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland; however, Ireland and Cyprus are not participating.
Replacing the current manual passport stamping method, the EES aims to automatically flag individuals who have overstayed their permitted time of 90 days within a 180-day period. Magnus Brunner, the Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration, stated, “The Entry/Exit System is the digital backbone of our new common European migration and asylum framework.”
Concerns over implementation and potential delays
During the initial six months, travelers might experience a dual-processing system, as both the traditional passport checks and the new EES procedures will coexist. Full operation is set for April 10, at which point manual passport stamps will no longer be used. This transition has raised alarm among national authorities about possible chaos, particularly in France, which anticipates a significant influx of tourists.
A French interior ministry official warned, “If tomorrow we had to pass all the passengers of a long-haul flight from China through EES, you’d triple the waiting time at the border.” Additional formalities required by the EES are expected to extend waiting times for travelers from non-EU countries.
The EU has indicated that the EES may be temporarily suspended during the first six months if excessively long wait times or technical complications arise. Barriga emphasized the importance of a phased rollout, stating, “It gives airports and airlines some breathing space to adapt.”
Only three countries—Estonia, Luxembourg, and the Czech Republic—are prepared to implement the EES system for all arrivals and departures starting Sunday. Germany has announced that Düsseldorf Airport will be the only location to launch the EES on that day, with Munich and Frankfurt following later. Meanwhile, in Italy, both Rome Fiumicino and Milan Malpensa Airports will adopt the system on Monday. The Netherlands is set to implement EES at Rotterdam The Hague Airport on October 27 and at Amsterdam Schiphol on November 3. Spain will initially only use the system for one flight into Madrid before expanding its use.
To mitigate the increased workload, France plans to recruit an additional 230 border guards across its 120 entry points to the Schengen zone. Airports like Brussels have already installed 61 self-service EES registration kiosks to facilitate the transition. Federico Bonaudi, director of facilitation at airport lobby ACI Europe, noted, “It is important to underline that the management of border crossing points lies with the member states, not with airport operators.”
Concerns persist regarding the system’s overall functionality, as only partial tests have been conducted prior to its rollout. ACI Europe has raised issues related to the “persistent understaffing of border police in certain member states” and criticized the late launch of the public awareness campaign for travelers.
Despite these challenges, Bonaudi added, “at this stage, all the necessary legal safeguards and tools have been put in place to minimize disruptions and delays on the first day of operations and the days ensuing.” The European Commission has introduced a preregistration application to expedite border crossings, although Sweden is currently the only country confirmed to adopt this app.