The arrangements for crossing another country’s borders are not like ordinary commercial arrangements, though - even if that’s how they usually work. No one has any actual right to enter any country other than their own and any country that chooses to makes things awkward (and is prepared to take the financial hit in terms of tourist revenue) is within its rights to do so. We’ve had it it very easy in most of the world for several decades - we may just have to get used to it being less so.
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Introduction of European Entry-Exit Scheme (EES)
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Freightmaster
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BBC article on the ongoing farce of EES delays:
www.bbc.co.uk
New EU system tripling time to get through border, airport boss says
Ryanair has also warned passengers travelling to Europe this summer to prepare for extended waits.
www.bbc.co.uk
Passed through Basel on Thursday late morning. We were first of 3 flights to arrive in quick succession. They were only allowing a few at a time to use the terminals.
We waited about 20 minutes with about 30 people in front of us and 4 manual booths open. I’d dread to think how long those at the back would have waited. Even before the EES I have waited upwards of 90 minutes when at the back of the line at Basel.
I passed through ok with just a photo taken, all in all about a minute tops, no questions asked. My friend was grilled about his stay and took best part of 5 minutes. Had to do both finger prints and photo. We have both previously registered before (twice I think )
We waited about 20 minutes with about 30 people in front of us and 4 manual booths open. I’d dread to think how long those at the back would have waited. Even before the EES I have waited upwards of 90 minutes when at the back of the line at Basel.
I passed through ok with just a photo taken, all in all about a minute tops, no questions asked. My friend was grilled about his stay and took best part of 5 minutes. Had to do both finger prints and photo. We have both previously registered before (twice I think )
Freightmaster
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BBC article on the ongoing farce of EES delays:
New EU system tripling time to get through border, airport boss says
Ryanair has also warned passengers travelling to Europe this summer to prepare for extended waits.
Is this awful situation likely to ever improve??
It might ... if people stopped traveling to the Schengen area. There'll probably be record numbers again this summer, so they aren't exactly incentived. We need to track which countries are doing a better job and spend our money there.
Almost looks set up to fail though with the way it was rolled out. It needs to succeed, however.
I say again: blame the EU and governments for this shambolic roll out and border control understaffing.
Almost looks set up to fail though with the way it was rolled out. It needs to succeed, however.
I say again: blame the EU and governments for this shambolic roll out and border control understaffing.
None of that is anything to do with Which? though. Their job is to inform propsective customers of the quality of a product so that the customer can decide whether to buy or not. It's the opposite of normalising it, the more people know that a product (in this case a flight arriving at airport X) is bad the fewer of them will buy it and it will put pressure on the supplier to improve matters.
STINT47
Member
Whilst this inconveniences us from the point of view of other countries I don't imagine they're all that concerned.
If an EU citizen wants to come to the UK they apply for their electronic authorisation and then passport control runs smoothly and quickly when they get here.
If we go to the EU we have long waits but why would they spend more of their tax payers money improving the system and or employing more staff?
Right now the EU holds all the cards and we are at there mercy if we want to travel to them.
If an EU citizen wants to come to the UK they apply for their electronic authorisation and then passport control runs smoothly and quickly when they get here.
If we go to the EU we have long waits but why would they spend more of their tax payers money improving the system and or employing more staff?
Right now the EU holds all the cards and we are at there mercy if we want to travel to them.
Because gross inefficiency is not financially a bright idea.
All the visitors who spend hours in a line at the airport spending nothing when they would otherwise very likely be spending money in the country or at the airport. As just one example, how much money lost to airport restaurants to passengers who planned to have a meal but instead rushed straight to the gate? This multiplied many thousands of times over.
The businesses and people within the EU who lose money and are inconvenienced. For example in the BBC article someone missed their booked car. Probably waited over an hour for them and gave up - massively inconveniencing the taxi/travel business who could have been doing business instead of wasted dead time at the airport.
All the border and airport staff who get fed up with dealing with masses of angry and stressed passengers every day, so they quit, leading to costly unwanted high staff turnover.
43096
On Moderation
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Then we need to change the regime for EU passport holders arriving here. Make them go through manual controls rather than e-gates, or put them all in a holding area for 90 minutes before going through the e-gates.
This should have been done after U.K. admission to Schengen was changed after Brexit.
Whilst I think it would be very satisfying to do so, particularly if named the EES Reciprocity Scheme, I fear it may be unlikely to achieve anything meaningful.
mike57
Established Member
We are about to book a trip to Paris at the begining of October.
We usually allow a minimum of 90 minutes for the connection from Kings Cross to St Pancras, which has been always been sufficent/
So the question: What has been peoples actual experience passing through St Pancras since the EES went active? How long did the first registration process take? What were queues like? I am aware of the advice offerd by Eurostar in terms of when to arrive. I want to consider what contingency if any I need to add.
So how much (if any) longer do we need to allow?
I assume that once everything is 'on the system' the return and future journeys are no different to the previous arrangements in terms of time
TIA
We usually allow a minimum of 90 minutes for the connection from Kings Cross to St Pancras, which has been always been sufficent/
So the question: What has been peoples actual experience passing through St Pancras since the EES went active? How long did the first registration process take? What were queues like? I am aware of the advice offerd by Eurostar in terms of when to arrive. I want to consider what contingency if any I need to add.
So how much (if any) longer do we need to allow?
I assume that once everything is 'on the system' the return and future journeys are no different to the previous arrangements in terms of time
TIA
Peterthegreat
Established Member
I went through yesterday.
No registration, no fingerprinting no passport stamping - just the e-gates.
Through in 5 mins from check in to getting to the waiting area.
No registration, no fingerprinting no passport stamping - just the e-gates.
Through in 5 mins from check in to getting to the waiting area.
mike57
Established Member
So this sounds like EES hasnt been fully rolled out yet. Trying to find accuate information is proving difficult. You get the EU official line on it, but on the ground it seems to be somewhat different. Thanks for the response.
I am flying into Verona on a Saturday morning in August with a German passport holder and his wife who has an Irish passport. My wife and I have British passports.
Can anyone explain how we will all be processed - is it standard that everybody goes through the same channels? Or are we all going to be separated. I saw on BBC Breakfast this morning (20 July) that at Rome airport it seems British passports do finger prints and passports at one e gate after another.
Is it likely that we will all be separated with different queueing times?
What are people’s experiences so far at foreign airports especially travelling with a Schengen area passport.
Thank you
Can anyone explain how we will all be processed - is it standard that everybody goes through the same channels? Or are we all going to be separated. I saw on BBC Breakfast this morning (20 July) that at Rome airport it seems British passports do finger prints and passports at one e gate after another.
Is it likely that we will all be separated with different queueing times?
What are people’s experiences so far at foreign airports especially travelling with a Schengen area passport.
Thank you
SargeNpton
Established Member
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On the contrary. We should be making EU tourists and business people feel welcomed. That would show up even better the farce that is currently EES.
for the purpose of this question EEA = EU+EEA+CH
In the non-EEA citizen lanes, you'll either go to a automated kiosk, eGate or manned booth (depending on airports, if EES is enabled at all). Then answer questions about stay, take prints and photo...
If first step is a manned booth, likely that are everything will be handled in one swoop. If first step is a gate or kiosk, you'll be sent either to another gate or a manned booth and then be sent on your way.
In my experience with one of the worst airport for this, CDG, as a French citizen, it can take from 5min to 30min, estimated non-EEA lines were > 60min at both times, but it's CDG so it's bad all the time.
You are going to be separated. There are provisions for non-EEA family members of EEA citizens to use the EU Citizen lanes if travelling along with the EEA citizen, but they don't apply to unrelated persons.
In the non-EEA citizen lanes, you'll either go to a automated kiosk, eGate or manned booth (depending on airports, if EES is enabled at all). Then answer questions about stay, take prints and photo...
If first step is a manned booth, likely that are everything will be handled in one swoop. If first step is a gate or kiosk, you'll be sent either to another gate or a manned booth and then be sent on your way.
Yes, I don't know about Verona, absolutely plan for much longer queues than your EU travel companions.
EU Citizen lines/eGates are much faster IME, but it is random at the end of the day. It'll depend on passenger load, airport layout, walking distance, how many staff the border authority decided to send that day... You can roughly estimate flight load by looking at the arrivals' board for flights arriving around yours.
In my experience with one of the worst airport for this, CDG, as a French citizen, it can take from 5min to 30min, estimated non-EEA lines were > 60min at both times, but it's CDG so it's bad all the time.
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I was fingerprinted etc a month ago.
Yesterday I arrived as requested at T-75, and was directed to a specific e-gate which took one look at my face and let me through.
Total time again 6min.
The disadvantage was, not surprisingly, that the previous departure hadn't boarded so it took me some minutes to find a seat
Yesterday I arrived as requested at T-75, and was directed to a specific e-gate which took one look at my face and let me through.
Total time again 6min.
The disadvantage was, not surprisingly, that the previous departure hadn't boarded so it took me some minutes to find a seat
Regularly pass the registration kiosks passing through St Pancras on my way to Thameslink and the entrance to them remains firmly shut since they were installed. Don’t envisage things changing there anytime soon, so all fingerprinting after checkin if it happens at all.
ricohallo
Member
Usually people holding EU passports are separated from non-EU and people are often actively directed to the respective lanes. However, the non-EU booths are also able to process EU passports if you do end up in the non-EU lane together. Obviously they won't have to go through the additional EES registration procedure such as photos and fingerprints, so it's much faster for them.
That depends on the country
CDG non-EU eGates wouldn't accept my French passport when the EU eGates did
ricohallo
Member
Oh, I didn't know seperate non-EU eGates existed in the first place! I do know that some countries allow other passports than just Schengen passports to use eGates, but thought those eGates were all the same. My experience specifically applies to the manned booths.
They are the same eGates, in France, they just configure them appropriately (or not, with 8 non-EU and 2 EU gates, making faster to have a non-EU PP) depending on the expected passenger numbers.
All this shows is which airports were mentioned in the most "traveller reports" for delays. Naturally larger airports are likely to be over-represented. it has nothing to do with "worst" or "most likely"; EES does not just apply to Brits! Have fun at Bucharest when flyDubai and Turkish arrives, for example. I waited an hour earlier this year.
Countries other than the UK hoping to attract EU tourists.
EYFanatic
Member
Can report that Ijmuiden ferry port is working normally but without the self service machines which are powered up but have little hoods over them. There is a curious arrangement here that I don't think applies at any other Dutch ferry port where those that are hard of walking or in a wheelchair/scooter thing that are non EU citizens are brought to the front of the queue on either the EU or Non EU side which is an arrangement I am not aware of at any other place. Additionally, if one person is in a wheelchair and is being pushed (as my father currently is) only the person pushing has fingerprints taken although in my my recent case I did not have this on entry or exit and just the passport scanned by one of the usual guards
As promised - just cleared Control. From joining the queue to exiting the control zone - just over 40 minutes
TheWierdOne
Member
Unfortunately the Schadenfreude would all also get stuck at the border on its way here from Germany
EYFanatic
Member
Spotted this just recently posted regarding the procedures at Gib... Little complicated, but at least it shows that the Spanish checks are on Spanish soil and not Gibraltar land as was shown by many social media posts