There’s one big misunderstanding about EES that I keep seeing in travel articles, updates and forums.
People think that once they’ve registered for EES, they don’t have to undergo any checks for at least 3 years – but that’s not quite how it works!
Let’s get into it…
What is EES?
EES stands for Entry/Exit System and is a new digital border system that’s been introduced across the EU.
It replaces passport stamping for non-EU travellers and logs your entry and exit from the Schengen area digitally instead.
To do this, the system needs to read biometric data from passengers – that is a face scan and fingerprints. So the first time you travel, you need to register these details which are then valid for three years.
What Do People Keep Getting Wrong About EES?
There’s a bit of confusion about what EES registration entails, versus an EES check.
You only need to register for EES every three years, but you’ll have to undergo an EES check each time you travel to and from Europe.
This means submitting biometric data – you’ll have either your face or your fingerprints scanned – every time you enter or leave the Schengen area.
How long will EES checks take?
It’s unclear exactly how long EES checks will take.
They shouldn’t take as long as registration, because you aren’t having to supply new data – instead it’s a check against the data they already hold for you.
But it will still take an amount of time, which will add to the overall time you spend going through passport control.
Before launch, it was reported that EES checks should take only 90 seconds to two minutes when the system is running perfectly, but we’ll have to see if that ends up being the case.
Is there anything I can do to speed things up?
Generally speaking, we just need to be patient as the new system gets up and running, and allow plenty of time for getting through passport control – both when we arrive in Europe and when we leave.
That said, I do have a hack that can get you through passport control more quickly when you are returning to the UK from a European airport.
My hack is to go through passport control (and the EES check) before your gate is announced. This is because most European airports only have one passport control area for flights leaving to the UK (do double check this though!).
Now, it’s normal to wait in Departures until your gate is called, and then go through passport control at that point and straight to your gate. But there’s no reason you couldn’t go through earlier if you’re worried about wait times and missing your flight.
So – keep an eye on the passport control queue and go through when it’s quiet, regardless of whether your gate has been called or not.
Just be aware that after passport control you’ll likely find very little in the way of facilities, and try not to get in the way of people queuing for an earlier flight – you don’t want to hold them up!
