How UK Fliers Can Prep For EES, From Jet 2, TUI, easyJet

The EU’s new Entry/Exit System (EES) has fully kicked into place for UK passengers after its October rollout.

It’s a biometric system (including a photo and/or fingerprints) that registers non-EU nationals every time they make a short stay in Schengen countries.

The EU’s site says it’s designed to eventually replace passport stamps and offer a more “efficient” version of EU check-ins. But so far, there have been early hiccups: EES has been blamed for border delays that left passengers behind and “hours-long queues”.

In response, airlines like TUI, Jet2, and easyJet have shared advice.

The Schengen countries involved are:

• Austria,
• Belgium,
• Bulgaria,
• Croatia,
• Czechia,
• Denmark,
• Estonia,
• Finland,
• France,
• Germany,
• Greece,
• Hungary,
• Iceland,
• Italy,
• Latvia,
• Liechtenstein,
• Lithuania,
• Luxembourg,
• Malta,
• Netherlands,
• Norway,
• Poland,
• Portugal,
• Romania,
• Slovakia,
• Slovenia,
• Spain,
• Sweden, and
• Switzerland.

The Republic of Ireland and Cyprus are excluded from EES systems as they’re not Schengen countries.

The advice so far includes:

Their site reads, “You should allow extra time to register your biometric details, such as fingerprints and a photo, the first time you enter the EU. There is no cost for EES registration, and your digital record will last three years before you need to register again.”

And responding to an X post by a passenger, the company added: “We ask customers travelling on our European short-haul flights to be there two hours prior to departure. It would be three hours if you’re travelling on a long-haul flight and one if you’re travelling on a domestic flight within the UK.”

In a travel alert, they said: “At some airports, you might still find longer queues, particularly at busy travel periods.”

They added, “To help your journey run as smoothly as possible, please allow a little extra time when passing through border control. Keep any essential medication in your hand luggage in case of delays, and when departing the EU, head straight to passport control after dropping your bags to avoid hold‑ups. Bringing some extra water for comfort is also a good idea.”

The company shared, “There may be longer wait times at Border Control at some EU Airports, especially at busy times. Once you start your EES registration, it should take around 1-2 minutes per person to complete.

“There may be longer wait times than usual when you arrive in destination and before your flight back to the UK. Unfortunately, this is outside of our control. But remember, there’s nothing you can prep before you travel.”

The airline added, “You’ll also need to pass through EES when leaving the EU in the same way you do on arrival. Depending on how busy the airport is, this may result in longer wait times at passport control before boarding your flight to the UK. After checking in for your flight, please head straight to security and passport control in order to arrive at your gate in plenty of time.”

The airline pointed out that while kids under 12 are exempt from fingerprinting, passengers “may experience longer waiting times on arrival, so allow extra time and factor this in when planning onward travel, including trains, taxis, or flight transfers”.

Plan your journey, arrive early, use Bag Drop as soon as possible if you’re availing of the service, get through security as fast as possible, and “be aware that there may be further checks at passport control after security and before reaching your gate,” they said.

They warned that queues might be longer as airports adjust to the system.

“Have your passport ready and follow EES signs,” they wrote.

“We recommend arriving at the airport with extra time to allow for these additional checks, especially during busy travel periods.”