Brits travelling to Europe are being warned about the new Entry Exit System, as it’s reported it will have to roll out at all airports in September.
It comes after some European airports, including those in Greece, delayed the rollout due to huge queues and disruption for passengers across Europe.
EES checks can currently be paused due to “exceptional circumstances”, but on September 7, airports won’t have the choice to stop operating the system, reports The Sun.
Airports were allowed to pause the EES for up to six hours and France, Portugal and Greece took advantage of this, choosing to reduce its effects on passengers during summer.
EU Entry Exit System - what UK travellers need to know
In some cases, the machines were turned off and on again to make sure they would work and could cope with the flow of passengers, the newspaper reports.
EES exceptions scrapped from September 7
Travellers at airports in Europe will see the EES in full force from Monday, September 7.
This means all Brits will need to use the system for all travel to Europe.
Introduced in April, the EES affects people visiting or leaving one of the 29 countries in Europe’s Schengen area.
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Travellers must register their biometric information, which means having their fingerprints scanned and photographs taken.
They must also answer questions about their visit, such as whether they have somewhere to stay, enough money for their trip and a return ticket.
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It was expected to be fully operational from April 10, and at the time it was introduced, the Home Office urged travellers to expect “longer wait times at border control”, while Advantage Travel Partnership advised visitors to southern Europe to “allocate four hours for navigating the new system”.
Teething problems with the new system have included a woman being mistaken for her twin sister and older travellers struggling with the checks due to having faded fingerprints.
Have you used the Entry Exit System? Let us know in the comments below.
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