EES: Will You Wait in Line to Enter Europe…or Breeze on Through?

Traveling through immigration in Europe has changed. The European Union has implemented its Entry-Exit System (EES), a fully electronic way to check your passport when crossing borders. While most countries are handling this process smoothly, some are struggling a bit — and this has led to some alarming headlines and high-profile social media posts about long lines and serious delays. So, what should you actually expect the next time you fly to Europe?

We’ve chatted with researchers, guides, and travelers to collect a wide assortment of on-the-ground observations to answer your questions.

What’s the first thing I need to know?

That the vast majority of people we’ve spoken with had a positive experience with EES. No major delays, no missed flights, nothing out of the ordinary from typical international travel. Many even said “nothing felt different,” or even that the process felt smoother and faster than before.

Among those who did encounter long lines, most noted that local staff was on hand to usher people with tight connections to the front of the line. Some major airports have permission to temporarily pause EES altogether, at peak times, to allow the queues to die down. So, if you’re heading to Europe soon and have been fretting over those catastrophic reports, keep in mind that many are one-off incidents or headlines fishing for clicks.

That said, this is a new protocol — and with any major change, there are quirks being worked out, potential bottlenecks, and things worth knowing before you go.

OK, so…what is EES?

The Entry-Exit System is Europe’s technological upgrade to its immigration process, which effectively replaces passport stamps. When you first arrive in Europe, the system scans your biometric data (like your fingerprints and face), creates a profile for you, and stores it for three years. This makes it way easier for participating countries to track who you are, when you enter, and when you leave. Think of EES as a digital way for you to “clock in, clock out” every time you visit Europe.

EES was soft-launched back in October. Since then, each participating country has been rolling out its system individually. Some have found it no problem to implement……while others have had a tougher time with logistics. (More on that in a moment.) The date all countries were required to have EES up and running was April 10 — which is why you’re seeing so much news about it right now.

What countries are included?

The 29 Schengen countries — that’s most of continental Europe, plus Iceland. These are the countries that have long operated without internal border checks; when you first land in one, you go through immigration…but traveling between them is as easy as crossing US state lines.

Key countries not included in EES are the United Kingdom and Ireland. The UK has its own similar process (called the ETA), and Ireland’s Common Travel Agreement keeps its immigration process more aligned with Britain than continental Europe. Turkey and the non-EU Balkan countries — like Serbia, Montenegro, Albania, Kosovo, and Bosnia and Herzegovina — are also not included.

Who does EES impact?

EES applies to travelers who are not citizens of the Schengen countries — like American tourists. If you have dual citizenship with a Schengen country and travel with that passport, EES does not apply to you. (But be sure you use the line for European passport holders.)

Where, exactly, do I go through EES?

You’ll encounter EES at the point where you first enter the Schengen zone. This could be your final destination, or it could be on a connection to another European flight. Here are four sample itineraries:

• Flying from the US direct to Paris? You’ll go through EES in Paris, because France is a Schengen country.
• Flying from the US to Berlin, with a transfer in Amsterdam? You’ll go through EES in Amsterdam, because the Netherlands is a Schengen country and it’s your first point of entry to the Schengen zone.
• Flying from the US to Barcelona, with a transfer in London? You’ll go through EES in Barcelona, because the United Kingdom is not in the Schengen zone — but Spain is.
• Flying from the US to Dublin? You won’t go through EES, because Ireland is not in the Schengen zone.

It’s also worth noting that wherever you go through EES has no bearing on where you claim your luggage. If you’ve checked a bag, it will be checked through to your final destination.

What does going through EES look like?

When you arrive in Europe and head toward immigration, you’ll encounter a self-service kiosk that scans your passport, your face, and your fingerprints. The kiosk creates a profile for you that will be used to track the length of your current stay and any further European travel.

After this, you’ll go through a standard border control check. This will most likely happen at an e-gate — an automated gate where you’ll once again do a passport, face, and fingerprint scan to verify your identity (with no human interaction and no stamps given). However, there are often still conventional human-staffed passport booths standing by, where a person will scan and stamp your passport. You may be sent to one of these for a variety of reasons — or, frankly, for seemingly no reason whatsoever, especially during these early stages of EES, when some airports rely on manual checks to keep things moving.

But Europe wants to know when you arrive and when you depart — it’s called the Entry and Exit System, after all — so you’ll also go through a similar process before your return flight. Since you’re already registered, you’ll skip the kiosks and go straight to the e-gates, where the system can confirm it’s you departing (and that you haven’t overstayed your 90-day tourist visa).

One thing that often gets overlooked: EES applies to all Schengen ports of entry. For most travelers, that means an airport — but if you’re arriving in Europe by car, boat, cruise ship, or train, you’ll go through EES, too. Traveling from London to Paris on the Eurostar? You’ll “clock in” to Europe at St. Pancras International, as you go through French immigration before boarding the train. (And most travelers have said it’s a breeze.)

If I’ve already registered, do I have to do this again?

No…and yes. Once you arrive in Europe and are registered for EES, the system stores your profile for three years (or until you get a new passport).  Until then, clocking in and clocking out of Europe will be relatively simple: After stepping up to the e-gates and scanning your passport, the machine will confirm it’s you…and off you go.

But here’s the catch: During this rollout period, travelers are finding that it’s often the same line for those who have already registered and those who still need to register. This is understandably frustrating, as it largely defeats the convenience of already being registered. But Europe’s thinking here seems to be that, since EES is so new, the vast majority of travelers are first-timers and therefore need to create a profile — so airports are all-hands-on-deck to help speed up this process.

Some airports have already dedicated separate lines for those already registered and those needing to register — and in the (hopefully near) future, this will become more and more common. But for now, even if you already have an EES profile, you may get stuck waiting alongside those who are not.

Is this actually causing delays?

Most travelers, at most airports, are reporting minimal, if any, extra delay caused by EES. If anything, it just makes the entry procedure slightly more confusing, as you now need to find your way to the right place to register and/or cross the border. But if you read signs carefully and don’t hesitate to ask staff, it’s generally smooth sailing.

Yet as mentioned, some countries are struggling more than others. Two of the biggest “delay hot spots” appear to be Spain and Portugal, with cities like Barcelona and Lisbon occasionally seeing long lines of travelers — both inbound and outbound — waiting an hour or two for their turn at the EES kiosks.

However, many of these reported delays have less to do with EES than with staffing problems: Airports were simply overwhelmed with incoming flights and didn’t have enough border staff on hand to handle the queues.

Also, when EES is causing a backlog, most airports have been generally good at managing it. Many have officers who usher people with tight connections to the front of the line, and some can also temporarily pause the process, if they recognize that EES is causing a logjam.

I’m about to fly to Europe. What should I do?

Above all, don’t panic. Avoid stewing over fearmongering headlines that are clearly trying to get clicks. Yes, there’s a potential for some delays, especially at a few key airports. But most travelers are having no real problems. Knowing what to expect will help you navigate the process and give you more confidence.

First, assess whether a long line would significantly impact your itinerary. Do you have a tight connection at the same airport where you’ll need to register for EES? Or will you encounter EES only at your final destination? If it’s the latter, any delay — while nevertheless frustrating — won’t cause you to miss a flight. You’ll just check into your hotel a little later.

For those with the short layover, consider researching how that airport has been handling EES lately by asking travelers who have recently been there. (Posting on the Rick Steves’ Europe Travel Forum and Rick Steves’ Europe Facebook Group are great places to start.) Most likely, the airport will be handling EES just fine. If you really think there’s a high chance your travels will be interrupted, consider making an itinerary adjustment. That said, given that EES seems to be smooth in most places, don’t automatically force yourself into a grueling six-hour layover because there was an off-chance of a delay.

Either way, don’t dilly-dally on your connection. Find the correct line as quickly as possible and don’t hesitate to check in with the staff if you’re cutting it close.

And keep in mind that, in a way, none of this is new. International travel has always carried the risk of delay. Immigration lines have long swung between hours-long inchworm affairs and “done in a flash” — EES or not. When you cross a border, you’re always subject to long lines, tight connections, and factors out of your control.

So…why is all this happening?

There are two reasons. First, and most immediate, is to improve Europe’s immigration process and security. EES is designed to create a cohesive system that will make it easier for Europe to stop illegal immigration and better identify those who overstay their 90-day tourist visa. Instead of relying on a border guard to manually monitor passport stamps, EES can instantly verify both your identity and your travel status.

But EES is also Europe’s stepping stone toward an even bigger goal: the European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS). This will effectively serve as a straightforward application to travel to Europe, requiring travelers to preregister and pay a small fee before they board their plane.

While this may sound intimidating, it’s far from unprecedented: ETIAS is essentially the same process as the United Kingdom’s ETA and the United States’ ESTA requirements — all part of a broader effort to streamline immigration by digitizing the process as much as possible.

However, ETIAS is not in effect yet — and will not be until at least October. (And don’t worry, you’ll hear plenty about it from us as it gets closer.) For now, you don’t need to worry about registering or paying a fee if you’re flying to Europe this spring, summer, or early fall. Instead, plan your trip as you always would…just be ready for things to look a little different when you land. EES is now part of the immigration experience. But with a little understanding and some mental preparation, it doesn’t have to be stressful.

 

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We’d like to hear from you! As a member of our merry band of travelers, please weigh in on this article by using the comments below. Meanwhile, many of these topics will also be covered on Rick Steves’ Europe’s various social media platforms — Facebook, Instagram, X, and TikTok — and we hope you’ll join the conversation there as well.