The EU’s much-delayed Entry-Exit System (EES) is to be fully implemented from Friday (10 April) after its six-month transition period expires, with warnings that passengers could face significantly longer wait times at airports in the coming weeks and months.
The new system requires the collection of biometric data, such as facial image scans and fingerprints, from passport holders of third countries, including the UK, US and Australia, when arriving at the EU border in one of the 29 Schengen Area countries.
But not all countries have been able to roll out the system in time with French authorities dealing with ongoing technical and operational problems, according to media reports. This will mean that passport stamping is likely to continue for non-EU passengers using trains and ferries between the UK and France over the next few weeks.
Eurotunnel train operator LeShuttle said in a statement: “Full biometric checks will be introduced once we receive the formal go-ahead, with the rollout carefully scheduled and coordinated.”
A Eurostar spokesperson said it was working closely with French and EU authorities to introduce the next stages of EES.
"Kiosk-based processing is not yet operational, and we are awaiting further guidance from the French Ministry of the Interior on the activation of these systems," added the spokesperson. "Additional lanes for manual border processing have been introduced in London St Pancras and Paris to support customer flow.”
The European Commission has insisted that it is giving the 29 participating countries “certain flexibilities” to avoid excessive queues this summer. It also added that most countries were already registering more than 75 per cent of border crossings ahead of the 10 April deadline. A spokesperson added that the process only takes around 70 seconds when the system is “operating well”.
But aviation groups, ACI Europe and Airlines for Europe (A4E), have warned that waiting times at airports have been “deteriorating” in recent months due to EES requirements, with regular queues of up to two hours at peak traffic times. They add that there is potential for even longer wait times after 10 April and have called for extra flexibility to be able to partially or fully suspend EES at crucial times.
Julia Lo Bue-Said, CEO of TMC network Advantage Travel Partnership, said: “It’s likely the public will experience bottlenecks caused by the new system as anyone without an EU passport will be required to have their fingerprints and photo registered at security points.
“We urge travellers to allow additional time for their travel to mitigate any risk of delays as even those who are already registered with EES will be subject to these queues.
“With flights to destinations in the Middle East still facing significant disruption, we predict more UK travellers will now be heading to European destinations which ultimately will increase the length of these queues.”
She also reiterated travel industry calls for a “flexible suspension option” during peak travel periods this summer to “help manage operational pressures and ensure a smoother experience for travellers”.