FinsburyPark
Member
Yes.
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Introduction of European Entry-Exit Scheme (EES)
- Thread starter Belperpete
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lokiavivson
Member
I presume that the other Eurostar terminals must've stopped stamping as well. On Tuesday, they were doing stamps at both St Pancras International and Brussel Zuid/Midi.
At St Pancras today it was French manual passport booth, picture taken with a webcam and fingerprints taken. No stamping. No use of terminals.
Last month it was eGates followed by stamping.
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It seems the stamping has pretty much stopped now.
FinsburyPark
Member
EES at Pula Airport, Croatia was not very good.
On top of that I had a wierd interaction at the EU passports line.
I use my Romanian passport and the border gaurd says I have another passport.
I say yes, British, how do you know?
She says you checked in with that one.
I said, yes, how do you know.
she says oh I know to both my questions and I get let through.
Must say I was a bit wierded out by it.
On top of that I had a wierd interaction at the EU passports line.
I use my Romanian passport and the border gaurd says I have another passport.
I say yes, British, how do you know?
She says you checked in with that one.
I said, yes, how do you know.
she says oh I know to both my questions and I get let through.
Must say I was a bit wierded out by it.
As you have an EU country passport you shouldn’t be using EES under any circumstances. Just a passport check.
FinsburyPark
Member
I did not use.
I saw the whole lot though. Queues backing up and some Brits found thier way in the EU line.
Using an EU country passport, you don't do EES even if you accidentally go down all passports line.
Well they know because the information gets sent to their screen. I suppose she wanted to confirm that there didn't just happen to be a different British person with the same name and DOB as you.
When ETIAS comes into effect, you will have to check in with the Romanian passport, since as an EU citizen you're not meant to get an ETIAS on your British passport (although in all likelihood it will probably still work unofficially).
FinsburyPark
Member
Yes.
I am a member of a group on facebook for EU citizens living in the UK, including duals.
The advice being given by them is when ETIAS comes in check in for EU bound flight using EU passport and UK bound flight using UK passport.
Until then, the current reccomendation is to check in for both legs using UK passport. This is usually seen as the option with the least potential for problems.
Thats what I did.
That is what I did.
Got to Kaunas, Lithuania a week ago and we were diverted to a channel that bypassed all the returning EU citizens - I thought we'd been directed wrong but then had face pics and fingerprints done in about 2 mins. On leaving yesterday we gave plenty of time just in case and found passport control not yet open. When it opened I tried the eGate and got told no so queued up - I say queue, there were 5 of us by then. Pics and fingers again. KUN is a small airport with just 3 flights on the board, two within the EU and one for us - only ours needing passport control. When it opened we were through in 3 mins. I didn't see if a queue built up later.
I'll see how we fare in when I expect will be a far busier Alicante at the end of this month.
I'll see how we fare in when I expect will be a far busier Alicante at the end of this month.
FinsburyPark
Member
Looks like more countries are thinking of following what Greece has done and to drop EES for UK passport holders over the summer.
I think many of these high tourism countries know if they want to keep the British tourist £££ coming, this will be an optical nightmare for them.
I think many of these high tourism countries know if they want to keep the British tourist £££ coming, this will be an optical nightmare for them.
Cloud Strife
Established Member
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- 25 Feb 2014
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- 2,965
The entries/exists have been recorded systematically since 2017, just that it took the EES to finally create a single database across Schengen. It seems that what's happening is that the EU has conceded that the biometrics aren't needed for the EES to work properly, probably because some Schengen members have made such a huge mess of the system.
I think it's worth pointing out that the use of kiosks isn't mandatory at all. Some airports such as Poznań and Wrocław don't have kiosks, the EES formalities are handled directly at the desk, and it seems to go pretty smoothly. The issue seems to be mostly connected to not having enough people on duty, or not allowing for the use of the e-gates after the kiosks. IMO, the EU's big mistake was in not creating a standardised system at all border crossings, which seems to have led to huge amounts of confusion.
Flew from Tenerife South on Saturday evening and was through departures in minutes.
Airport wasn't overly busy though. Different story in Glasgow. 4 flights landed at the one time and around 600 people trying to get through Border Control. Took around 20 minutes to clear.
Airport wasn't overly busy though. Different story in Glasgow. 4 flights landed at the one time and around 600 people trying to get through Border Control. Took around 20 minutes to clear.
eastwestdivide
Established Member
Anyone been through Harwich/Hoek recently? In particular, which metro did you catch from Hoek after arrival?
Howardh
Established Member
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- 17 May 2011
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- 9,801
Hope so, I'm off to Spain (Ibiza) next week and currently haven't a clue what I'm facing when I get there or on return.
FinsburyPark
Member
Spain wasn't on the updated list. Portugal was though.
Yes, Glasgow border control is quite a small one.
Howardh
Established Member
- Joined
- 17 May 2011
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- 9,801
I've still a few days for Spain to "fall in like" - or is that "fall out of line"??! Also got a trip booked to Ibiza in October, quieter than summer but busier than now (October holidays, outside HT, seem to be getting busier, but that's another issue) so as far as EES is concerned, if it is "dropped" over the summer, I expect it back late Sept.
If I'm photographed/fingerprinted next week, do I have to do the same in September or just drift past the new machines and scan the e-gates as they have my previous info?
EES: Portugal and Italy will not suspend digital border checks for Brits, says European Commission
Reports had suggested the countries were set to follow the example of Greece, which effectively suspended biometric checks for UK nationals.
www.bbc.co.uk
European Commission saying Portugal and Italy wont suspend checks and are "in contact with Greece to clarify the situation and recall the existing rules"
sounds like the comission is clamping down now they see countires looking to do this
FinsburyPark
Member
Killer shame.EES: Portugal and Italy will not suspend digital border checks for Brits, says European Commission
Reports had suggested the countries were set to follow the example of Greece, which effectively suspended biometric checks for UK nationals.
European Commission saying Portugal and Italy wont suspend checks and are "in contact with Greece to clarify the situation and recall the existing rules"
sounds like the comission is clamping down now they see countires looking to do this
In many cases from a passenger throughput perspective. It just doesn't work all that well.
Appeared to be the same as before on Wednesday, just without the stamping. The EES kiosks before going through security are all switched off still. I used an E Gate and was pretty much straight through. I assume if you use a manned booth you will have fingerprints and photo done.
SargeNpton
Established Member
- Joined
- 19 Nov 2018
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- 1,755
Last Monday, through UK passport control and directed straight to the E-gates.
Vexed
Member
Venice - 40 minutes to clear EES on arrival yesterday around 10am.
Using the registration kisoks was mandatory on arrival, but there were more than needed so the bottleneck was the egates.
No wait for EES/egates on departure. Now waiting for an hour late flight after arriving earlyish in case of EES delays...
Using the registration kisoks was mandatory on arrival, but there were more than needed so the bottleneck was the egates.
No wait for EES/egates on departure. Now waiting for an hour late flight after arriving earlyish in case of EES delays...
MicroLithium
Member
A fairly long wait at IJmuiden today - longer than usual, and they weren’t brisk before. Ferry docked around 9:45, there was an announcement that only small groups of passengers would be allowed to disembark at one time. This basically amounted to the passport queue being all the way back to the ship, with people being allowed to proceed in blocks. Only three windows open when we got in the terminal (of four) and the self service machines covered over. Only one window was processing non-EU arrivals for the majority of the time. We were dead last in the non-EU queue and got through just after 11, and so arrived at Centraal about 11:45. I don’t see how they can make EES efficient at IJmuiden since there’s no space for e-gates - everyone is bottle necked by the four manned lanes
Bologna - about 5 -10 minutes. Was interested to notice that the facial recognition screens there seem immobile (unlike the UK ones) so “centring” your face required gymnastics!