Overview
- EES, which fully activated Friday, now records fingerprints, face scans and passport details for most non‑EU short‑stay visitors at external Schengen borders.
- Airports and ports report longer queues at peak times, with industry groups citing waits up to two hours as locations phase in kiosks and new checks.
- Processing differs by crossing, as some sites still complete enrollments manually and border officers can scale back biometric capture during heavy congestion.
- UK routes with juxtaposed controls now complete EES before departure from Britain, and the government funded kiosks and urged travelers to allow extra time.
- The system covers 29 Schengen countries but not Ireland or Cyprus, creates a record valid for three years, and exempts EU nationals and most children from fingerprinting.