Britons flying to Spanish destinations like Mallorca are being warned to expect long queues and delays at border control with the new EU EES Entry/Exit System visa system is introduced on November 10. Mark Tanzer, Chief Executive of Abta has told the UK travel industry: “We now know that the new EU Entry/Exit System (EES) has a target go live date of 10th November 2024. This will initially mean a big change for UK holidaymakers when travelling to Europe, as they will need to provide fingerprints and facial scans, as well as their passport and travel details, on arrival at the border.
"EES will eventually make going through passport control easier – because passports won’t be stamped manually. We are conscious of the potential for queues or delays when the system is first introduced, as the initial registration will mean it takes longer to process passengers. Whether there are queues and to what extent is likely to vary from country to country, and airport to airport.
"During the first sixth months, border officers will have the flexibility to adapt the application of EES checks to help manage queues. We’re urging airports/ports etc to use these measures and the European Commission to keep mitigation measures under review if any problems persist. We are in close contact with the European Commission and UK Government departments responsible for these changes.
"We expect more information in September, including final confirmation of the launch date and details of its communications campaign to help make travellers aware of the changes and what they will need to do on arrival at the border. The UK Government will also be conducting its own communications to advise the British public about EES.”
According to Travel Weekly, the travel association Aito welcomed clarity over the target introduction date of November 10 but “also recognises the challenges that travellers – and the travel industry – will face during the various implementation phases”. The organisation said: “Whilst EES will no doubt improve the customer experience in the longer term through automation, Aito is concerned that UK travellers going overseas could, at least initially, be faced with significant delays.
“It is evident that many border controls are simply not ready for the new processes and, with customer awareness of the scheme currently extremely low, long queues, along with some unavoidable chaos and confusion, are unfortunately likely.”