Will making the EES system to enter the Schengen Area compulsory from 10 April make airport queues better or worse?
Posted by Wyatt367758@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 13 comments
Tomorrow, the EU will fully implement its EES border control system. I've been avoiding the Schengen Area after seeing horror stories of massive queues at airports that are longer than the actual flights. Will fully implementing EES mean shorter border queues because you only need to be enrolled once, be able to use an e gate and not need to be seen by a person make things quicker? Or, will things just get even worse...
OldLondon@reddit
Just been through it and we did both! The new e gates and also got passports stamped. Was a clusterfuck in general.
96vlh@reddit
How long did it take to get through it all
OldLondon@reddit
Coming in wasn’t that bad, but we were near the front of the queue and were the only plane in, maybe 45 mins. The next day there were 3-4 hour queues with a few planes landing together. Going back out was fine but you had to go and do some pre register scan before going to the boarding gate which really wasn’t made clear at all
Next_Watercress_4964@reddit
Apparently 51 UK passengers were left behind 🤯 as airline couldn’t wait for them to finish the EES checks. UK has to reciprocate this for EU citizens entering the country
deadliftbear@reddit
Your registration lasts for two years, but is automatically extended every time you cross the border up to the expiry date of your passport
Not in all countries. Access to e-gates are a decision for individual member states. France and Portugal has allowed UK passport holders to use the gates for a while already, but Germany didn’t until last year – and still requires a separate registration with the Bundespolizei.
Salt-Abroad6397@reddit
The info I read said you do the whole process every time. Only the first time is more thorough
FluffyOwl89@reddit
It was absolute carnage in Lanzarote last week. People queuing for 3 hours, no separate queues for EU nationals, some people just being sent to passport control rather than to the machine (happened to us). I can’t see them having fixed the issues by tomorrow.
bhaskarosrs@reddit
I hope it isn't 3 hours, I'm going to Spain Barcelona on 14 April
l0stlabyrinth@reddit
I'm flying to Berlin at the end of May so am already dreading this, given how long I had to queue at passport control at Schiphol Airport a few months ago plus the hell that's the TSA in the US.
Hoping it will be smooth sailing and they'll iron out the teething issues by then, but I'm not holding my breath
bhaskarosrs@reddit
I'm going Spain Barcelona on 14 April, hoping it's not too bad
Wyatt367758@reddit (OP)
How long was your wait at Amsterdam
l0stlabyrinth@reddit
I would have said close to 1 hour which felt a bit long considering the flight was only around that long anyway plus I've gotten through in other European countries within a few minutes
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