Schools are out, and with the arrival of summer holidays, many UK families will be getting ready for a European getaway. With that in mind, now feels like a good time to get familiar with the EU's new Entry/Exit System (EES) before you travel.
What is EES?
You may have already seen EES mentioned in travel news over the past year. It's a new digital border system that records when non-EU nationals, including UK passport holders, enter and leave the Schengen Area.
Your first trip under EES is likely to take the longest, as you'll need to register your details at passport control. This involves:
- Scanning your passport
- Having a photo taken
- Providing fingerprints if you're aged 12 or over
The good news is that there's nothing you need to apply for or arrange in advance. However, the registration process could add some extra time at the border, particularly during busy holiday periods when airports are at their busiest.
Once you've completed your first registration, your details will remain on file for three years, making future journeys much quicker.
Plan a little extra time
It's difficult to predict exactly how busy things will be. Some travellers online have reported queues of several hours, while some have experienced sailing straight through or waits no longer than 30 minutes.
That said, this will be the first full summer holiday period since EES was introduced. A combination of first-time registrations, increased passenger numbers and airports adapting their layouts to accommodate the new process could lead to longer waits in some locations.
Our advice? Build in a little extra time wherever possible, especially when choosing your car rental collection time. Car rental providers operate on tight turn arounds and high demand and are unlikely to hold your rental car past the collection time. Give us or your providers a call if there’s a chance you may be late, as late arrivals can result in your booking being classed as a ‘No Show’, depending on the provider's terms.
Not every journey will be the same
Your EES experience may vary depending on where you're travelling and how you get there. Greece has temporarily relaxed some biometric registration requirements for UK travellers, while Ireland and Cyprus are outside the Schengen Area and therefore aren't part of the EES system.
If you're travelling via Dover, Eurotunnel or Eurostar, EES checks are carried out before you leave the UK at French border control. This means travellers may notice longer processing times before departure, particularly during peak periods such as the school holidays.
The bottom line
EES isn't something to worry about, but it is something to be aware of. Your first trip may take a little longer, especially if you're travelling during peak holiday periods or with children. It's not an issue with the technology itself - it's simply the reality of rolling out a new process to millions of travellers at the same time.
Give yourself some extra time, keep your passports handy and arrive expecting the possibility of longer queues than you're used to. Once you're registered, future trips should be much smoother. And if you’ve booked a rental car, arriving at the rental desk without feeling rushed is one less thing to worry about when you’re ready to start your holiday.
