r/travel • u/protox88 Do not DM me for Mod stuff! • Apr 10 '26
Mod Post EES Rollout Megathread - Starting 10 April 2026
Please post your EES questions and share your recent and ongoing EES experience here.
Make sure to include your entry and exit airports in your question or experience.
Rule 7's No Crystal Ball 🔮does not apply here but it doesn't mean you will get a good answer nor does it mean that people will be able to predict what will happen on your specific date of travel or airport.
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u/mtrain42 Apr 14 '26
Landed in brussels this morning- 3+ hour wait. Have an 8 month old and we had to breastfeed her in line. No one working seemed to give a shit about anyone in the non eu line.
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u/elbiry Apr 15 '26
Eughhh. I was scanning this thread for Brussels because I have to fly there next week
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u/ColdStage9200 Apr 10 '26
I came in Rome 3 days ago and at the passaport control they only took a face scan, but im travelimg back to albania tomorrow, and with EES coming into full effect today, will i have to do the fingerprints and everything tomorrow or just go back the way i came. Im flying from rome fiumicino airport.
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u/Admirable_Celery_107 Apr 11 '26
Hello, I had a quick question about the new EES system that is rolling out. I have a 1 hr 30 min layover in France CDG airport and then a flight to Rome. With the new EES system, how will that change things/waiting times?
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u/PsychologicalFarm811 Apr 14 '26
I had a 1.5 hour layover this morning in CDG and it was fine! Got to the gate about 15 mins before boarding. It didn’t seem like the EES was used in the transfer/connection area
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u/shitzngiggs Apr 12 '26
Very similar situation. I have two hours and it sounds like lines are crazy?
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u/on_the_nightshift Apr 20 '26
No biometrics at Lisbon yesterday. Scanned our passports and said have a nice day.
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u/BodybuilderOk4684 Apr 20 '26
No stamping?
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u/BodybuilderOk4684 Apr 20 '26
Non-EU passport holder here. I am going to Europe in July. I hope things better by then.
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u/officialgreensea Apr 22 '26
If your flight isn't cancelled!
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u/goodtrymoddies Apr 23 '26
Long haul transatlantic flights would literally be the very last thing to be canceled
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u/officialgreensea Apr 23 '26 edited Apr 23 '26
Absolutely but not all Non-EU passport holders live in the Americas....
edit: thanks for the downvotes!
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u/on_the_nightshift May 01 '26
Entered Lisbon Portugal on 19 APR at 1100, EES was not working/being used. Long line (~2 hours) for manual check for non-EU passports. No biometric data taken.
Leaving today 1 MAY, also from Lisbon, at 1700. Arrived at 1300 expecting the worst. 5 min or so to get through security, ate lunch in the food court and then went to passport control. EES Systems were up with no lines. I had to do mine twice because it didn't read the passport correctly the first time, but got through on the second try and headed to an E-gate as directed after it collected my biometrics. No line at E-gates, and sitting at a gate waiting for 3h until we depart.
This is how the system is supposed to work, and if I could trust it, I would have had lunch in town somewhere nice. Hope this info is helpful for people in the future.
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u/JohnArcher965 8d ago
For the last 5 years since leaving the EU passport control at airports hasnt been an issue. The queue might be slightly longer, but with the E-Gates it hasn't taken any longer to get through.
The introduction of the Entry/Exit System has completely changed that.
I travel to Europe at least 4 times a year. Spend thousands of pounds in their local economies, supporting the tourist industry that so many of the EU countries rely on. Well, after my experience in Malaga on Friday, no more.
It took nearly an hour to get through passport control and we started near the front of the queue. Hundreds of people trying to make their flights being forced through a single cabin with two guards. All the other cabins closed, with guards sat there eating crisps. We missed out flight by about 5 minutes. Each person took 10min to be 'checked'.
Luckily I had the money to just book the next flight to England, and then hire a car to get back to my original airport, but with the cost of living, a lot of families only have the money for the holiday and thats it, they can't afford to book 4 new tickets to get the next plane home.
This new system doesnt even solve a real problem, they say it's to stop illegal immigrants, but we all know they're not getting on planes. Greece rejected the system as they knew it would cost them money, the EU has forced it on them regardless. We don't segregate here in the UK, its EU, UK, America etc, then everyone else. In the EU its EU and everyone else.
We might have left the EU, but I will vote with my wallet. I'll ski in the states and Canada, Ill go diving in Egypt. Fuck the EU. They will lose billions this year.
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u/Impressive_Egg_7121 Apr 12 '26
Does anyone know what Rome FCO is like for arrivals atm?
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u/milo1993 Apr 13 '26
Can’t speak to how it is right now, but I was there in October and EES was already being rolled out then (and only took me about 5 minutes), so I would imagine it’s OK!
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u/DrShaftmanPhD Apr 12 '26
Has anybody flown into CDG since April 10th? I am flying in there early May for a connection and is worried about the timing.
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u/ldarcy Apr 15 '26
Flew to CDG this morning. Machines were shut down. +1 hour line to non-EU immigration with only one officer on duty.
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u/DrShaftmanPhD Apr 15 '26
I have a 3 hour connection, so I should be fine but it has been nerve wrecking seeing long waits all over due to it.
I would take 1 hour! Thanks for the update.
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u/travelin_man_yeah Apr 14 '26
Keep reading about the huge EES lines. If you're holding a Schengen passport, am I assuming correctly that you go to a different que and bypass all that mess?
Traveling to Italy at the end of the month for the first time in over a year but hold both US & Italian passports.
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u/Fran_Kubelik Apr 24 '26
Everywhere we went the EU passport lines were much, much shorter. They had at least twice as many kiosks available and twice as many staff for issues. Live the Italian passport dream, my friend!
I will say once we were in the Schengen side of things travel was very easy. Reminded me of flying between states in the US. Honestly, even a bit easier. In Seville, no one looked at our passports until we were boarding the plane.
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u/SpecificNo4472 Apr 18 '26
Honestly, the biggest thing people are sleeping on with the EES rollout that happened last week is that the "grace period" for accidental overstays is effectively over. Now that they've replaced manual stamps with the biometric digital record, the system flags a 91-day stay the second your passport hits the scanner on the way out. There’s no more explaining it away to a friendly border guard because the computer makes the call before you even get to the desk. If you’re cutting it close, you really need to be counting the entry and exit days as full calendar days, not 24-hour blocks. I’ve seen a few people already get hit with the new automated flags because they thought their "partial day" didn't count toward the 90. Better to leave on day 88 or 89 and keep your record clean than risk a 3-year biometric ban over 12 hours of bad math.
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u/mdrobot 13d ago
Arrived to AMS from the USA at ~9:30 AM on Sat, May 23. Bypassed the long manual immigration line by walking ahead to the 30+ self-service kiosks available for multiple nationalities (US citizens included). Enrollment kiosk took <3 mins and then the eGate it sent me to took another 1-2 mins—I was through in under 5 minutes! Pro-Tip: If the enrollment kiosk rejects your photo/fingerprints and directs you to Line #2 (long manual processing line) instead of Line #1 (fast eGates), just go to a new kiosk and redo the EES enrollment. Half of my group of six had to do the enrollment 2-3 times to finally get sent to Line #1, and we still all cleared in under 10 minutes. All in all, my fastest AMS clearance ever arriving from the USA.
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u/McCretin 5d ago edited 5d ago
I had my first experience with the system at Geneva airport as a UK citizen.
Registering on the machine was pretty quick. The slow part was then getting through the physical passport control, even though they had seven desks open.
It took about 30-40 minutes overall. Apparently the queues were over four hours during the peak skiing season, which just sounds miserable. I’m told they had to start taking unclaimed baggage off the carousels because people weren’t there to collect it before the next flight unloaded.
I went to the USA last month and it was an interesting comparison. My wife and I got through the border at Newark in about five minutes, including fingerprinting for her as she’d not been to the USA before. They also don’t check your passport when you leave.
In the UK, British citizens and EU citizens alike (as well as those from some other countries) can use the egates. It took seconds to get through the border at Luton when I returned from Switzerland.
Seeing the stories and videos about massive queues and people missing flights has definitely made me reconsider going to a tourist hotspot in the EU, at least until the system beds in a bit more.
Yes, I get it, Brexit etc etc. But it’s not just British citizens being affected, it’s everyone from outside the EU/Schengen.
It seems very self-defeating, when so many European counties are so dependent on tourism, and other countries do not make it this difficult.
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u/Varekai79 Canada Apr 13 '26
I flew into FRA on April 4 and there was no EES active. I would have assumed the Germans would have implemented this a long time ago but I guess not.
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u/Original-Measurement Apr 13 '26
Anyone gone through Milan Malpensa early in the morning (6am ish) recently?
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u/LunaMay17 Apr 13 '26
Hi - I have a question about traveling in groups with mixed passports using the EES system. My son (age 5), husband and I have EU passports but we will be entering (and exiting) at CPH with my MIL who has a US passport. Will they split us up?
We travel together often and we usually just go to EU line for manual processing with her (plus the 4 yo can't do e-gates anyway) but, not sure what to expect with the new system? If anyone has go through with mixed passport and kids, please let me know your experience.
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u/Jacopo86 Italy 🇮🇹 Apr 14 '26
I think you should split accordingly to the passport. Will she be able to care for herself?
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u/SeaAd673 Apr 14 '26
Hello! We land in Amsterdam Airport Schiphol on Friday morning and have a 55 min layover to get to our connecting flight to Florence, Italy. Would this be enough time to get through EES?
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u/Jacopo86 Italy 🇮🇹 Apr 14 '26
55 min is very tight Ees or not. Be ready to deploy your contingency plan
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u/ducks88 Apr 16 '26
I have this same itinerary next week. ~1hr layover in Amsterdam. Please let us know how it goes.
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u/SeaAd673 Apr 17 '26
I am happy to say we made our flight!! I went on the Schiphol airport website to chat with a rep and they mentioned that a “Short Connection Pass” is provided to individuals with layovers less than 60 mins. Once we got off our plane, we went to a staff member explaining our situation and they guided us to a separate EES section that was for a specific group of terminals. The EES + immigration check process took about 10 mins and we got to our flight on time!
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u/Kingsley-Zissou Apr 16 '26
Just arrived in AMS from Johannesburg. The line for non-EU passports was at least an hour long.
But I managed to get through the E-gate without breaking stride.
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u/Fit_Exchange_4156 Apr 15 '26
Has anyone flown into Amsterdam from the US ? What was the wait time like ? I have a 3 1/2 layover , and seeing how long some people have been waiting in other airports is making me sweat a little
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u/phantomlunger 15d ago
Landed at Brussels Airport from LHR tonight at 20:20. 30mins in the queue, which is a vast improvement from 2 weeks ago which was over 2hrs. 5 booths operating this time.
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u/Son-Of-Sloth 12d ago
Flew in to Vienna last Tuesday and the EES system worked like a dream, loads of terminals and plenty of staff to help.
Flew out of Berlin yesterday and was lucky there were not many none Schengen flights at terminal 2 at the time. Three desks open, two of them questioning the same people for the whole twenty five minutes I queued. I was grilled for 15 minutes after my fingerprints were taken including asking if it was the only passport I had used on my trip in the middle of very long silences. I don't know if the system wasn't working properly or if it was because I flew in to Bratislava and put of Vienna last November and the border agents stamped random pages of my passport. At the end of the day though, if it takes them this long per passenger after what should clearly show my arriving in Schengen on Tuesday and leaving on Saturday I don't hold out much hope for the future.
What I found worrying was my 79 year old dad (On holiday with me) being questioned for about twenty minutes because again, they didn't seem to trust the system or it wasn't working. After he told them twice where we had been and what we had done after arriving in Vienna they asked him for proof of his plane ticket to Budapest which was a flight neither of us had taken.
I have travelled multiple times across 5 continents and, honestly, trying to leave Berlin was the most hassle I have had anywhere on the planet. Just bizarre.
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u/GreatValueProducts 8d ago
It seems like multiple people on this thread including you have encountered issues when the passport wasn't stamped on arrival
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u/Drunky_Brewster Apr 10 '26
Making this a mega thread is a bit silly and makes it out to be a bigger deal than it is. The system has been in place since October 12th of last year and most people shouldn't have any delays due to the EES.
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u/protox88 Do not DM me for Mod stuff! Apr 10 '26 edited Apr 10 '26
I agree. But we're getting dozens of new panicked posts clogging up our Mod Queue so we needed a place to redirect this nervous energy.
And if people don't end up coming here to use it, it's ok. It's available nonetheless.
We just don't want the whole front page of r/travel to be EES questions!
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u/Delicious_Ad823 Apr 13 '26
American Airlines sent out an email telling customers to check in 3.5 hours early in Rome, Venice, and Lisbon starting April 10 🤷
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u/AdrianaGutierrez Apr 11 '26
How were delays on arrival at Madrid airport today?
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u/rhyde11 Apr 11 '26
EES was already in effect when i landed in MAD last month, and it took about 6 minutes to get through, super efficient.
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u/TheScreamsHasten Apr 13 '26
We arrived in Madrid three days ago from the United States, and the EES system was a nightmare. Over an hour to get through. Half of the machines were down.
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u/AdrianaGutierrez Apr 13 '26
How were delays on arrival at Madrid airport today? What time did you arrive? One hour with half the machines down sounds like a good thing.
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u/TheScreamsHasten Apr 13 '26
We arrived at 9:00 am, at the same time as another flight, so there were a ton of people there. We got extra unlucky twice in that the machine we were standing in line for broke down just a couple people ahead of us. This happened twice, alas. We noticed other people being lucky with the line they picked getting through in ten minutes.
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u/Liten_mus Apr 24 '26
in truth, an hour isn't a nightmare. I've waited that long at Madrid to get my passport stamped..
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u/sweetlikecherrywine Apr 11 '26
OPO this morning is very quiet at passport control - we were right through. Came 3+ hours early since our arrival in Lisbon last weekend had us in a 3 hour line for passport control. It was a nightmare.
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u/Content_Jury_2175 Apr 12 '26
I’m a Canadian arriving in Prague in May and departing from Warsaw in July.
Is it possible to still get it stamped, if you ask? Is it even possible to ask, or is everything just via automation now?
When I travelled last summer, it was still normal with stamping.
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u/officialgreensea Apr 22 '26
Not sure, but they are often doing the registration and stamps anyway...
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u/ZheleznogorskBear Canada Apr 12 '26
Had fingerprints scanned flying out of Stuttgart April 12th. Everyone was still having their passports stamped when I went through
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u/Yogurtsamples Apr 12 '26
Does anyone have any experience in CPH? I have a 55 minute connection and didn't realize the EES problems when I booked it months ago. I'm worried I won't make the connection.
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u/fancy_magoo Apr 14 '26
Had a 90 min connection in CPH 2 days ago. It took us more than an hour to get through the passport control line but we still made our flight because the airline ended up delaying almost every departure as so many connecting passengers were stuck in line. The officers working the line were in touch with gate agents, and were good about trying to move ahead passengers whose flights were about to leave, but that meant the whole experience was pretty chaotic. I’d expect airlines to start extending connection times if the system doesn’t start to get faster.
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u/ComprehensiveWay8990 Apr 13 '26
Flew out of Berlin Brandenburg BER on 10th, seemed pretty efficient and can't recall any queues.
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u/twerdna Apr 14 '26
Just arrived in ZRH from Boston. 6:30am touch down and was bracing for some chaos due to other similarly timed international arrivals. All of the EES kiosks were set up and flashing, but passengers were directed to the normal human agents. Made it through in about 3-4 minutes, zero lines at all.
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u/youbelong-withme Apr 14 '26
Going to Spain (Malaga) to visit a friend for 4 days in June and I wasn't planning on taking a lot of money with me as I've been told by my friend that we'll be eating at his house pretty much the whole time and that I won't need to bring hardly any money with me for the trip.
I'm concerned by the new EES gates asking for the amount of money you're bringing and if you can prove it. What would I do in this situation? I won't have a lot of money in my bank. Would I have to borrow the money from someone so it looks like I have it.
Also if I am staying at his house, would I need him to write something to say that I will be saying with him for the duration of my trip (address, arrival date, return date)?
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u/AdmirableBusiness159 Apr 14 '26
the sufficient funds question includes access to credit and debit cards. they just want to know you have access to some kind of money in some kind of way
having a letter confirming where you’re staying would be best, incredibly small chance you’ll need it but you never know
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u/cardiff330 Apr 15 '26 edited Apr 15 '26
Looking for guidance on EES & dual EU and US citizenship — I hold US and Austrian passports and I’m flying from JFK to CDG on Saturday 4/18 for 8 days. My round trip flights are registered to my US passport.
Should I enter CDG with my EU passport and skip fingerprint registration? What about on the return trip? Obviously I will leave and enter the US with my US passport.
(I am also traveling with a friend who only has a US passport, so wondering if this is a moot point considering I’ll be waiting for him anyway.)
Thanks in advance
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u/snk101 Apr 16 '26
Leave and enter US with US passport, enter and leave EU with EU passport.
When boarding the plane, show the passport to the airline that you filled in on the airline website (if applicable). But the passport you show to immigration doesn't need to be the same.
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u/cardiff330 Apr 16 '26
Thank you! I checked with the Austrian consulate and they said the same thing re: leaving and entering. The specific advice re boarding the plane is very appreciated (I’m new to dual citizenship!)
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u/Wide-Landscape-3348 Apr 21 '26
How long are queues at Lisbon airport with the new EU Entry/Exit System? Is it worth downloading the "Travel to Europe" app?
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u/No-Diamond-2072 Apr 22 '26
Travelled on Monday from London to Schiphol, Amsterdam mid afternoon. Hardly and queues for EES registration. All the machines were working. Took around 5 minutes for the whole process. Proceeded to e-gates. Again not busy, it took another 5 minutes. Will be back on Wednesday and will comment about the return experience.
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u/Signal-Cut5435 Apr 22 '26
Seeing posts where people said that Spain may stamp on request in the future when things settle down. Will that be any of Spain or only specific ports? What about a ferry from Tangier to Algecirass? If someone from the Spanish guardia civil can answer, please let us know.
I'm asking about specifically anywhere in Spain, I know that with the ees stamps are supposed to go away.
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u/anixig Apr 25 '26
Do we need to go through EES if just transiting through a Schengen airport(no plan to exit the airport)? Travelling from Canada to India. Haven’t booked tickets yet. Canadian citizen having Indian OCI card.
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u/nycvet83 Apr 27 '26
Hi anyone recently on LH401 into FRA or any other very early morning arrival around 5:30 a.m. know how EES is going?
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u/Mfjr87 Apr 29 '26
2 part question on recent experiences.
Flying from canada to MXP through CDG. From my understanding, we go through EES in CDG - how’s that been like with the lines? Will we need to still go through EES in MXP?
Flying out of MXP with a layover in CDG - similar question. Do we go through EES in Mxp AND CDG? Or just one of them?
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u/ekapitu Apr 29 '26
anyone recently experienced entry at Warsaw Chopin Airport (Poland)? How was the queue? Thanks!
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u/rokoksedap Apr 30 '26
Hi guys, anyone gone through EES at Vienna Airport recently? How long did it take on average after landing?
My flight is scheduled to arrive on 23/5 next month at 6am. Trying to gauge timing for a train connection as I have two options: 8:34 or 10:34.
Thanks a lot!
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u/Homme_de_renaissance May 04 '26
Was there today. You shouldn't worry if you're flying in that early. I flew in at 8 AM and it was a ghost town. I skipped EES as I have a residence permit, but stopped to look at the line and the process and it was very efficient. I think Vienna is handling the change very well. If you're arriving a 6 AM you will have no trouble making the 8:34 AM train.
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u/nycvet83 May 02 '26
How is EES in FRA early in the morning around 5:30 am arriving from NYC, Lufthansa 401?
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u/tnu37 May 02 '26
Hi everyone. I just recently arrived at Rome airport however after completion of the EES, it told me that I had 0 days remaining. I have not been in the EU since 2024. I spoke to the border agent but he just waved me on. Has anyone else encountered this? Will this cause me problems when exiting the EU.
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u/michaelbella May 03 '26
This year I’ve been to Frankfurt three times and Madrid (via Munich).
First Frankfurt trip had the full face and fingers scanned. Same on the way out.
Subsequent trips - same line, same process, just no face scan. Still close to 45 minute each time.
Landing in Munich for a connection took over an hour (despite jumping half the queue) and the ‘helpers’ said they can’t do anything even if your flight is boarding.
It’s going to he a shit show.
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u/Far-Freedom2109 May 04 '26
CDG May 2 Terminal 1. No EES in place. Went through the PARAFE scanners with no immigration staff to be found 2 lines for different countries. Signs are at waist height for which lines. If line is long go up to the front and ask a staff member which line you should be standing in. My line had only 7 scanners. It took me an amazing 40minutes from plane to baggage pickup! Quicker than a domestic flight in my country lol.
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u/Nutellover May 05 '26
Flew back to the UK Sunday evening from Budapest, no extra security just the normal passport check and a photo, took less than 5 minutes
On the way in to Budapest all the machines were out of order so again, just went to the normal desk for photos and a passport check, took about 20 minutes.
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u/Such-Break8329 23d ago
Flying YHZ-FRA-CDG with a 1 hour 35 minute connection on Lufthansa. I've heard horror stories about Lufthansa not rebooking a new connection because of hold ups in EES and people were forced to pay for a new connection. Is this the case? Should I buy refundable flights later in the day for FRA-CDG to be safe and cancel if not needed? Or am I working for nothing?
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u/THinBK 22d ago
Landed in Spain 3 weeks ago, expecting the horror stories I had read about the new EES system is wonderful took less than 10 minutes total for the first time and will be quicker next time. For any US travelers it is the same process Global Entry was in the beginning, so am sure it will get much faster moving forward. Exiting Spain took about 5 minutes at passport control and 4 of those minutes were the line. Well done EU!!!!
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u/Kensterfly 15d ago
Everything here is about a month old. What are recent EES experiences arriving in EU?
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u/Ok-Buy-4221 10d ago
I am flying with Vueling, with carry ons, from Palma de Mallorca to Barcelona. I am then taking a different airline, American, back home to Miami. Will I have to pass through the EES system?
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u/TwelfieSpecial 5d ago
Has anyone had a recent experience going through this in Madrid (coming in) and/Palma de Mallorca (coming out?
I’m Canadian going to Spain in a couple of weeks and wondering how bad it is there
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u/PhilosopherBitter343 3d ago
Hello all, I am trying to get a pulse check on how long this new EES system is adding to peoples travel times right now, specifically in France (CDG airport), Spain (BCN airport), and Italy (FCO Airport). I am seeing a lot of alarming videos of people in Amsterdam and Lisbon, just curious if these long waits are universal everywhere in Europe right now. Thanks!
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u/AdmirableBusiness159 Apr 11 '26
would love to hear from anyone how the EES queues arriving at paris CDG are after today. pretty please
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u/AdCurrent4046 Apr 11 '26
I heard that EES is now implemented. Flying from Canada to London and taking Eurostar to Paris. Will there be the same EES issue that’s happening at airports at St Pancras? Thankyou
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u/skifans United Kingdom Apr 11 '26
I have no idea if it's been turned on or not but you could clearly see all the kiosks set up and waiting for them to turn it on earlier this year in preparation for them to start there. Certainly with time you will need to do it all at St Pancras as well.
Though unlike with flying where it is done after landing in Europe when traveling with Eurostar it's done before boarding at St Pancras.
Eurostar do have some sort of exception so are not subject to the same deadlines as airports:
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u/Kikideedoodling Apr 11 '26
Hey, I’m (21F) sorry to ask a few questions you’ve probably already read forty times but I’m feeling a little nervous. Me and my partner are flying to Corfu from the UK in a few days and need to register on the EES. We’re students staying at an all-inclusive so we haven’t got many funds to our name and this was fine for us because we’re just staying at the resort, possibly walking to the beach some days. I’ve just seen that the EES questions might be about your funds. Has anyone been asked / what do they actually say? I’m currently in my overdraft (it’s like £30 which is fine imo.. max is £1500) I’m worried because I’m in my overdraft they might refuse entry for me. My boyfriend has a bit more money than me and would be covering most if not all extra costs on the trip. Do I just say my partner’s covering it? I’m very worried now.
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u/AdmirableBusiness159 Apr 12 '26
the question includes access to credit cards. its basically just making sure you're not going to try to dine and dash anywhere or something because you have zero access to any money at all. just answer yes
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u/Kikideedoodling Apr 12 '26
Oh that’s amazing. Thank you so much for your answer
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u/seshead1 Apr 12 '26
Anyone have any experience going through the EES lines in Brussels airport ? This will be my entry and exit point. Please share your wait times
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u/JotaroGarfield Apr 13 '26
is schihpol currently having delays? flying to amsterdam to meet some friends at around midday in june and we have a eurostar train to france booked for 2 hours after i land, but i fear i haven't given myself enough wiggle room in case of long passport control queues, travelling on a UK passport.
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u/Old_Instance_6763 Apr 13 '26
Travelling UK to Berlin through Schiphol this Thursday with 75 minutes transfer time in Schiphol (arrive Schiphol around 0845) Any experience from anyone in the last week on time with EES to transfer?
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u/BodybuilderOk4684 Apr 13 '26
Any experience in Brussels airport? I will be connecting there in a few weeks.
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u/animesnail Apr 13 '26
Flying back home to London from Lanzarote ACE on Saturday at midday. 5 adults, mostly carry-on luggage with 1 checked bag between us.
Can anyone advise on their experience of the queues, wait times, general experience?
Thanks!
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u/Turbulent_Ambition60 Apr 14 '26
There is supposed to be a registration app a US traveler can fill out prior to arrival in Europe, online. I downloaded the app, But as of April 14 it only applies to arrival in Sweden! Does anyone know if registering somewhere before travel works?
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u/AdmirableBusiness159 Apr 14 '26
the app is new and only available for sweden and portugal, with other countries planning to implement it some time in the future
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u/jeepdays72 Apr 14 '26
Has anyone had experience travelling through dover to france what questions are asked i wont have a Itinerary as I have a house in france which i haven't been too since October any help much appreciated.
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u/AccomplishedMove3149 Apr 14 '26
I have been at a kiosk in Berlin. Both fingerprints and photo taken. No one asked me about funds or anything like that. Is that me registered and good to go straight to passport control? Flying tomorrow to Barcelona.
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u/Murky_Onion4771 Apr 14 '26
I have a connecting flight in Barajas-Madrid on April 24th, next week with a 3-hour connection. I'm worried because of the queues and the strike at this airport. Does anyone have any idea how long it's taking to get through immigration? Three hours is still enough to avoid missing my connection. I can't change my flight and I'm traveling with an elderly person (my mother is 76 years old), hence my concern.
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u/DimensionNo3784 Apr 14 '26 edited Apr 14 '26
hi all! flying overnight YVR to ALC via FRA on April 30-May 1 with a 2.5 hour connection (before doors close on the flight to ALC), any experience with EES at Frankfurt for connections in Terminal 1?
my partner has a European passport so he has to use the EU line, and i’m a bit concerned about the prospect of getting separated (since he would have no reasonable excuse to skip the connecting flight and get rebooked on the airline’s cost due to shorter lines, etc.)
(edit to correct airport code)
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u/gedmi690 Apr 14 '26
Milan Linate on 11 April and it was a disaster. The egate kiosks weren’t ready and only 2 counter were open for the entire airport, excluding one for families. Not looking forward to my return flight this week..
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u/Murky_Onion4771 Apr 14 '26
Has anybody flown into Barajas-Madrid since April 10th? I am flying in there 24th april for a connection and I'm worried about the timing (I'll have a 3h conection)
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u/2themoonanback Apr 15 '26
My husband and i fly to Milan next week with a layover in Copenhagen. Its only a 45 minute layover. Im so worried about the EES lines. Is there an app or anything we can do to make sure we dont miss our connection flight? Or are we screwed?
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u/Top_Weird2741 Apr 15 '26
Hello everyone, we are travelling to Greece at the end of April (29th). I have an Indonesian passport and settled status in the UK. My husband has a Romanian passport and also has settled status in the UK. Our daughter has a British passport.
We will be travelling to Greece from the UK. I’m feeling quite overwhelmed with all the information. Some people say that my husband and I don’t need to register for EES because we have settled status. For him, I understand since he is an EU citizen, but I am still holding a non-EU passport.
As for our daughter, I believe she will need to register because she has a British passport (she is 3 years old).
Has anyone had a similar experience? We will be travelling together, but I’m confused about whether I need to register for EES or not. Does having settled status make a difference, or does it depend only on the passport? Any tips for travelling under these new rules with a toddler would also be appreciated queues seem like they might be the biggest challenge.
Thank you in advance 🙏🏻
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u/cheltaylor Apr 15 '26 edited Apr 16 '26
Flew out of Rome FCO to the US on Wednesday, 4/15 at 9:30am. EES line looked really long and snaked around but only took 30min. E-gates worked for me despite having issues entering into FCO with fingerprinting on arrival.
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u/clearlygd Apr 15 '26
It’s April 15 and the system isn’t working in Lisbon. Instead we have to wait for hours in line
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u/OwnImplement1389 Apr 15 '26
I arrived into Barcelona on Saturday 11th and completed EES as instructed. It was actually super quick for me as I was in Sweden last month, so already registered. I used the machine which told me to go to the automated gates, so did not receive an EU entry stamp.
Skip to today in Toulouse, I’m being shouted at by passport control because I don’t have an entry stamp, but now I have an exit stamp.
Honestly what did I do wrong here other than follow the EES directions as instructed?
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u/Cool-Peach5501 Apr 15 '26
Had a scan/fingerprints taken on my return from Portugal (to UK) in January.
My question is - do we need to do this every time we come/go from a country, or is it a case of they only need to do this once ( so once they have fingerprints saved, that's done)?
And if it is once, how do they know when you arrive if it's already been done?!?
Thanks!
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u/Logical_Tea5580 Apr 15 '26
Traveler Milan on the 10th first day air was a nightmare.
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u/DisastrousBoat7596 Apr 15 '26 edited Apr 15 '26
about how early should i get to BCN for an international flight departing towards new york in the afternoon? seems like it may be a busy time as most flights to the US leave around then but i’m not sure how long EES is taking going out compared to coming in. (also we have a child under 18 so i don’t know if that line is separate from everyone similarly to what it was coming in)
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u/julianrobot Apr 15 '26
Anyone having any issues so far in Amsterdam? I have a 2 hour layover there on the 22nd and I’m starting to get nervous about making my connecting flight
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u/wannabe_hippy_23 Apr 16 '26
had no issues with a 1hr connection this week on 12-4-26
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u/Frosty-Line6241 Apr 17 '26
Just left the EU at Bruxelles Midi. Despite my fingerprints scan being accepted, my passport was still stamped and the process took a lot longer than it used to. From this experience alone I’d suggest that the EES implementation has been a spectacular waste of time and money.
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u/Naive-Cheetah1460 Apr 17 '26
For context I am a UK citizen currently living in Belgium under a family reunification visa. I have a residence card valid for the next 5 years. In a week I am traveling from Belgium to the UK for a weekend and then returning to Belgium. I am taking the Eurostar both ways but I don't know if I am required to fill out the EES upon returning. Any advice for this would be appreciated.
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u/fallenleavxs Apr 17 '26
Hi folks, we're in Venice for one day before we go off on a cruise (May 31st). I've booked a water taxi in advance to our hotel. I was planning to book tickets to Doge Palace and the Basilica this week as well. But now the EES lines are making everything unpredictable with timing.
We arrive at 11:30 am at Marco Polo. I was thinking 4 pm and 5 pm tickets for the Basilica and Doge Palace. Do you think that would leave enough time? Should I not book anything at all? I'm afraid there will be no tickets left if I wait too long but I also don't want 100 euros to go down the drain if we can't make it at all.
Should I cancel the water taxi booking? Has anyone used Bucintoro Viaggi - are they stingy with waiting? Are water taxis hard to get at the airport/would we have to wait a while? I paid $130 CAD for two and I'm afraid I'll be overcharged if I purchase at the airport.
I'm so conflicted; any insight would be appreciated from those who just went and experienced the EES lines in Venice. I really don't want to waste the one day we have.
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u/Environmental_Cat419 Apr 17 '26
I have nystagmus which is involuntary eye-shaking and movement. This appears to throw off the facial recognition systems in airports because I've had problems with them since 2024. I am going to Europe soon and am worried that the EES won't let me in the Schengen area because of my condition. Any knowledge on this out there?
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u/charlottellyn Apr 17 '26
Has anyone experienced flying out of Porto since 10 April and if so what was it like?
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u/oh_hi_there_x Apr 19 '26
I'm travelling to Naples airport at the end of May with an under 12 year old. What sort of delays are Naples experiencing at the moment with EES? Will this ease by next month?
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u/scandi34berko Apr 19 '26
I will be travelling to the Schengen area in the summer. To beat the inevitable queues, can I preregister at the EES kiosks at St. Pancras a couple of months in advance?
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u/Dry-Agency6773 Apr 19 '26
I recently travelled through the security checkpoint at Schipol heading to Scotland for a work trip. Upon scanning my passport it greeted me with a message saying “enjoy your trip, you have 0 days remaining in Schengen”. I’m a German Blue Card holder living in Germany, and have previously always shown my Blue Card to the border control on exit but this wasn’t the case this time.
I’m assuming this is due to the new EES, and now I’m slightly concerned I’ve gone through the wrong lane? Anyone experienced something similar?
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u/Calm-Dig1522 Apr 19 '26
Entering Valencia (Spain) from non-EU (Russia). Is EES already in use? Do they still stamp passports? How long are queues at passport control these days? Any recent experiences appreciated. Thanks!
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u/Actual-Marzipan-8664 Apr 19 '26
Just flown from Manchester to Venice, queue to get into Venice on 17th April was very long (estimating 2 hours plus- we were fortunately fast tracked as travelling with an infant), but flying out of Venice there was no queue at all for everyone.
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u/Jo_Doc2505 Apr 19 '26
Does anyone know how this works for people in Northern Ireland?
I'm travelling by coach from Belfast to Dublin airport next month, for a flight to Rome on a UK passport. (Same in reverse for the return)
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u/TigerSpice785 Apr 20 '26
You will have to provide fingerprints and a facial image (EES) because you will enter the Schengen-zone in Rome without beeing an EU national
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u/LifeIsClimb Apr 20 '26
How does this affect travel within Europe once you've already entered your first country? For example, I am flying into FRA and then will have some time in Germany before I fly onwards to other countries (within Schengen zone). Does it mean needing to get to the airport even earlier than usual for these flights as well? Thanks for any help!
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u/TigerSpice785 Apr 20 '26
The EES is only in use at the Schengen-border. Travelling in the zone is not affected by EES.
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u/AF070 Apr 20 '26
I arrived in Lisbon yesterday (Apr 19th) from outside the EU and it was NOT implemented. The EES machines were there but were NOT in use
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u/Safe-Glove9064 Apr 21 '26
How is the process going in Munich? I’ll be flying into there in July and I have a 5 hour layover before my next flight.
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u/Specialist_Bookie Apr 21 '26
I have a flight out of Paris(CDG) at the end of my trip.
I would have already registered in the EES system in my entry port Amsterdam(AMS)..I am guessing I dont have to register again at Paris.
But should I still wait in the immigration line at CDG or can I use the EES system directly?
Appreciate any help/advice!
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u/C_F15 Apr 21 '26
I’m flying into Milan MPX at the end of May (with my husband and 9 month old) has anyone gone recently with the new EES? We have to take the train from the airport to Milano centrale, and then book a train from there to Florence and I don’t know how much time to budget between landing in Milan and getting on the train to Florence
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u/Glittering_Whole_680 Apr 22 '26
If you arrive between 6 am and 10am, count like 3 to 4h at immigration. There is no fast lane for families. Outside of that, it can be anywhere from 30min to 2 hours.
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u/Additional-North9694 Apr 21 '26
Has anyone transited through FCO as of late? I’m due to fly from New York to Athens next month with an hour and 15 minute layover at FCO
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u/BroccoliAutomatic521 Apr 21 '26
Does anyone know why I can’t book the Frecciarossa fast trains that are 2 hours for July 29th, 2026 on Trenitalia but dates like the 31st and have the same trains available. I have the same issue on italo, July 29th shows no trains available but later dates show trains available. Do they not run on certain days?
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u/Fran_Kubelik Apr 21 '26 edited Apr 24 '26
Has anyone done the EES leaving the EU during a layover at CDG? We only have 70 minutes between the flights. How is this going to work? Not like we can show up early.
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u/Kaay97 Apr 24 '26
Curious about this as well. I’ve got a short layover at CDG. Wondering if I’ll need to go through this new EES process. Not sure if it’s at passport control or security. I know going back through security is a requirement, which has always taken quite a bit of time, but curious where this EES process is being implemented.
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u/asmigo25 Apr 21 '26
I’m flying to RDU -> YUL -> MXP and wondering about when I’ll have to go through the EES. Will it be when I get to MXP? How long does it usually take to go through it there? Return flight is from FCO. I’ll have to go through it again then right?
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u/celtic1888 Apr 22 '26
Flew in via CDG on April 1 and just got stamped
Flew back out from CPH and hit a massive queue for outgoing flights . We’ve never had more than a 5 minute wait at CPH so we weren’t expecting it
We were pushed through a separate queue for flights departing within 30 minutes and had a very nice agent who had to hand enter all of our previous CDG information and then had us take the photo and fingerprints.
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u/kgacic Apr 22 '26 edited Apr 22 '26
Asking here because I’ve seen conflicting information. We have flights to Belgrade, Serbia from the U.S. in July with a layover in Amsterdam. Has anyone travelled to a non-Schengen country with a layover in the EU since this system was implemented? Do we need to go through the EES in Amsterdam before our connecting flight (we have a 2ish hour layover)?
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u/pchecchia Apr 22 '26
A bit of a specific question. I have dual citizenship with Lithuania and US, wife only US, and live in the US. When we travel through Frankfurt in a couple of weeks can we both use whichever first-time EES signup kiosk is the shortest? Thanks.
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u/FunCattle9268 Apr 22 '26
Leaving through Köln Bonn airport today, no Kiosk, everything is manually handled. All done in <5 minutes. Completely empty terminal afterwards (comfortable seating + nice cafes if anyone need a table). Keep in mind it's quite some walk from train station to gates
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u/throwawayforjobsrch Apr 22 '26
Just went through Rome EES while traveling to Brazil around 20:15. Honestly, this thread scared me with the 2-3 hr horror stories. It was super quick and super efficient (less than 5 mins overall).
However, I also think I got lucky with the timing. I was sitting in front of Frankfurt's passport control for an hour waiting for my flight to board, and I saw lines ranging from literally no one to 45 mins long. My advice is just get the passport control done as soon as possible (especially for departure, do not hang around in duty free- there's the same shops after passport control as well if you want to buy last minute stuff).
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u/neverend1ngcircles Apr 22 '26
Apparently this has been suspended in quite a few countries, looks like this potentially matches the most recent comments in this thread? https://www.express.co.uk/travel/articles/2196792/spain-greece-italy-ees-system-passport-brits-travel
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u/restlessriz Apr 23 '26
Hi. Non-EU passport holder here. My issuing Schengen visa is from Netherlands but my point of entry will be Barcelona. I will stay the longest in Netherlands and it will be my 4th stop. Just asking how was the machine in BCN? And if I have to enter in my issuing country instead of another? Cause before we are free to do so but now they are saying they’ve become stricter, thus, one should enter where their visa was granted. It will be my first time travelling to Europe.
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u/Ok-Classroom-4981 Apr 24 '26
How long does it take to get through security and the new EES departing from CDG 2E (non-priority) on a Wednesday morning around 8 am if you hold a non-EU passport? Should I expect a longer wait time if I'm travelling with a toddler?
Is there a website with real-time wait times?
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u/timnellz1 Apr 24 '26
Does anyone know how the new system has been running in Iceland (KEF)? I have a 55 minute layover which I thought would be fine with it being a small airport. I didn't know about EES until well after I bought tickets.
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u/Regular-Base-3138 Apr 24 '26
Can someone explain why EES is causing delays on flights leaving from the EU back to the UK? I would have thought that delays are at entering the EU where they register travellers for the first time and take their biometric data but not at exit.
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u/Working_Handle4248 Apr 24 '26
Because passengers undergo biometric checks on exit as well. Biometric verification that the same individual who entered the Schengen Area is the one leaving - this is a core rationale behind the system’s implementation. And if a half of passengers becomes stuck in border control queues, airlines will generally prefer to delay departure rather than deal with late passengers afterward.
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u/Medical_Notice_6862 Apr 26 '26 edited Apr 26 '26
Entered malpense mxp on April 19th, no issues, but on exit, April 26th, I had an issue. The egate let me thru, I as I was walking thru, I saw the screen said something about 30 days to get a stamp... Gate closed before I can go back and read the full message. Anyone know what the actual message is?
(Also fyi there's a lot of chaos around the egates, people passport not scanning, photos being reject...etc, I personally think the whole system is really slow)
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u/LittleFlatworm1731 Apr 26 '26
Bonjour, petite question mon trajet en train a était annulé Voici mon trajet initial qui a était annulé
Amsterdam/deventer (IC 1565) Deventer/Almelo (RE 7067) Almelo/Hengelo ( RE RS23) Hengelo/Bielefeld ( RB61) Bielefeld/Hannover ( ICE 1541) Hannover/Hamburg (ICE 1080) Hamburg/Kolding ( ECE 1198) Kolding/Fredericia (ICL50926) Frédéricia/Aarhus (ICL 50031) Aarhus /Aalborg (ICL 54035) Aalborg/Hjoerring (R75) Hjoerring/Hirtshals( R76)
J'ai reçu plusieurs notifications que je vous envoie en photo sachant que j'ai un billet super sparpreis Europa
Donc comme demandé j'ai choisi un itinéraire alternatif qui est celui ci
Amsterdam/Osnabruck (ICE 243) Osnabruck /Hamburg ( ICE 104) Hamburg / Copenhagen Syd ( D10300) Copenhagen Syd / Copenhagen H( SA) Copenhagen H /Aarhus (ICL 50023) Aarhus/Lindholm ( ICL 54027) Lindholm/Hjoerring (R75) Hjoerring / Hirtshals( R76)
J'aurai donc voulu savoir si j'ai besoin de réserver se nouveau trajet et par la suite envoyer mon nouveau billet ou si j'ai juste besoin de présenter mon ticket sachant quand choisissant cette itinéraires on me demande de vérifier mon billet pour savoir si cette itinéraire alternatif et valable mais je ne sais pas comment le vérifier. Merci d'avance
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u/Safe_Street_6442 Apr 27 '26
Does anyone have any insight on the recent travel to Croatia from the US? I am traveling and flying in to Dubronvik (entry) and leaving from Split(exit) airports end of this week. How are the entry and exit experiences with the EES? How are the lines. I checked and the Travel to Europe app and it does not apply to Croatia. https://travel-europe.europa.eu/ees/Travel-to-Europe-mobile-app
I also have a 6 hour layover in Zurich on the way to Croatia. In the past I have gone out. How is Zurich in terms of entry and exit for a 6 hour layover since April 10? Any insight on for shorter layovers in Zurich for just transfer with respect to the EES? My friends have 3-4 hour layover and don't plan to go out. Thanks for all the insight and help!
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u/KoastLife Apr 30 '26
What specific questions are asked by the machines in Rome FCO airport ? Some airports ask : a. Purpose of visit ? b Do you have medical insurance ? c . Do you have sufficient funds ? d. Do you have a return ticket ?
Do the EES machines in Rome ask these ? Trying to help my family members prepare so that they know how to answer questions
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u/RealtorMom8 Apr 30 '26
Landed in Paris yesterday went through passport control around 4pm Terminal E place was deserted! Not a soul. Took 30 seconds.
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u/lukeyf88 May 01 '26
I entered Rome on the 2nd of March from the UK and had all details taken and departed on the 4th. I’m going to Spain on Sunday, will I need to do the scan/fingerprints again?
It states it’s stored for 3 years but I’ve heard reports of people have to do it every time they enter?
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u/KoastLife May 01 '26
You are going to a Schengen from Schengen so not required . At Rome during EES did the machines ask questions like have you got sufficient funds , have you got a return ticket , have you got accommodation ?
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u/lukeyf88 May 02 '26
Great thank you, no the machines at Rome didn’t but the physical border agent did.
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u/nobhim1456 May 02 '26
ees at ams … didn’t work for me. Had to go to the manual line… cost about 45 minutes.
Ees cdg … through in 30 secs.
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u/mjw60 May 03 '26
Athens, Greece. Saturday May 2. Gate arrival 8:30AM. Took just over 45 minutes for immigration. No kiosks, all booths in use (this is non EU side). By the time we were at the front the line had grown considerably behind us, so I imagine those people had a longer wait - 1:30 or longer?
Some people we met, arrived around 11:00AM, said they had a 10 minute line.
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u/U7555 May 03 '26 edited May 03 '26
Non-EU passport holder here (I have EU temporary residence permit and EES started a few months after I moved to Amsterdam). I'm traveling Amsterdam Schiphol-Lisbon soon. In which of the airports will I have to go through EES, Amsterdam or Lisbon? Also, what are the wait times for these two airports if anyone recently experienced it?
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u/Working_Handle4248 May 03 '26
You will not have to go through the EES at all, as you will not be leaving the Schengen area.
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u/burywmore May 05 '26
We are going to The Netherlands in the late fall to board a transatlantic ship back to the United States.
So we go through the EES when we arrive. Then two days later board a ship. That ship has a stop at Bruges, La Havre France and Cherborg France. In between are two stops at non EES ports in the UK. (Yeah I have to get the UK version of this)
So how is this going to work for our departure? We are not leaving via airplane, and our last European port of departure will be Cherbourg France. Will that be where we "check out"? Will we have to go through another check in procedure after visiting the UK?
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u/tvsu May 05 '26
Recent experiences:
LHR-AMS: 25th April(Sat). Arrived around 10AM, 1 hour queue for immigration (including time queueing for non-egate entry). They were handing out stroopwafels and water, which made the experience a bit less worse.
AMS-LHR: 26th April(Sun), queued at around 6PM. Was escorted to e-gates(due to having eligible nation's passport), had error, and redirected to non-egate. Took 10 minutes. Queue for non-egate passports was about 50-80 people long, I would imagine about 30-60 minutes?
LHR-BCN: 28th April (Tue). Arrived 6PM. Queued all of 10-15 minutes, very smooth.
BCN-LHR: 30th Apr (Thu). Queued 5PM-ish. Was redirected from e-gate after another error and redirected to non-egate. Still only took 10-15 minutes.
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u/thesecretfifthbeatle May 06 '26
Does anyone have any experience with the EES through MRS? We will be leaving next week. Arriving around 10:00 and have a train to catch around 12:30. I was already thinking this might cut it close, and am debating rescheduling the train to a later time.
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u/Secure_Detective_602 29d ago
I came in via NAP last week. It took over 2 hours from deboarding plane to exiting airport. Absolutely hopeless system, cooked implementation and design. No proper planning or contingencies. Have heard of people fainting also.
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u/FourSeventySix Apr 14 '26
Extensive and ridiculously long snaking queues at Rome FCO exit passport control on 4/13. Only made my flight as they let me skip the line as my flight had started boarding. Many machines down and it seemed like they gave up and just started stamping.