https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn897e8280do
might be simpler to grab a cheap return flight to Europe as a means to pre-register?
I was thinking this earlier - quick smash 'n' grab midweek, take a couple of days off, flight to wherever, get it done, back home, job jobbed.
Another one for the Brexit Benefits thread in the Upside Down.
I (Mrs OTS and kinder OTS's have Italian passports!) registered at Malaga in December and then swanned through Linate in January.
It was quite straightforward once it was clear what was required, but few folk knew what to do or how the machines worked. The fingerprint machine was a masterclass in how not to do user interfaces both from an instruction and hand placing point of view.
Will be fun to see how it beds down over the summer.
I flew into Gothenburg on Saturday morning and back out the same evening. It was all very easy, photo and finger prints taken on the way into the country and photo on the way out again. Stanstead was equally easy to get though the automated gates by scanning my passport. No complaints here.
As I wrote on the other thread, a trip to Norway last week was pretty simple. Finger prints and photo taken at the same booth you would normally go to get your passport stamped, and then just finger prints on the way home. No issure for us, extra few minutes maybe.
Manchester airport was easy as well with the auto gates.
biggest hold up was waiting for my snowboard bag in Oslo, before I realised it had gone to the other end of the luggage collection room....
I flew EasyJet into Paris CDG on Saturday morning there, all the new machines were taped off and not being used, got through Border Control in under 5 mins 🤪
Does anyone know if this is in place on the chunnel yet?
Another one for the Brexit Benefits thread in the Upside Down.
It might have made a small difference if we were still in the Schengen zone, for traveling within the zone, but more and more countries are introducing very similar systems and laws, so any traveller is going to have to comply anyway.
My family in New York are going to have to comply, both are dual citizens, U.K./America, and will have to comply at both ends, being certain to use the correct passport when they travel between countries.
Flew into Geneva last Saturday. EES was a breeze. Took a minute. Was expecting carnage
It might have made a small difference if we were still in the Schengen zone,
The UK has never been in Schengen
Does anyone know if this is in place on the chunnel yet?
Wasn't in use at the weekend, believe it's been delayed (again)
just back from Mallorca, Palma airport was perfectly fine.
maybe 15mins to get scanned on the way in and exit was fine.
Does anyone know if this is in place on the chunnel yet?
No, but the lack of UK border officials meant a massive queue anyway.
Nice was a pain in and out last week, nearly missed my return flight but got called to the front of the queue.
I've been into the EU 4 times in the past couple of months and have had to do face scan and finger prints every time, as if I'd never done it before
Doesn't seem the most efficient process, and kinda unclear if this is the process every time or whether in theory it's meant to be faster at some point?
I guess that one major question is whether any potential delays at the border, are accommodated if you’ve booked a package holiday.
i guess the travel reps will ensure that your connecting bus to the hotel will wait for you.
likewise, they’re legally obliged to ensure that you get a return flight when your holiday ends.
independent travellers may be subject to the vagaries of specific airports…
My Lidl app doesn’t always work correctly, I sometimes have to access the QR code via an email. It made Greek week a bit awkward but I succeeded eventually, a fridge full of loveliness!
I flew to Faro last month, did the fingerprint and face picture there without any problems.
Came back a week later and it was easy.
Went through the process at Chambrey airport last month with no problem which considering how basic the airport is was a relief. Now have a new passport, Im hoping it transfers to it
Palma only took 5 minutes on Saturday, they have loads of machines so no queueing.
No, but the lack of UK border officials meant a massive queue anyway.
Haven't been through the channel tunnel before, how far in advance should we aim to arrive? We're booked on the 1050 car train.
Do I need to do the finger print machine every visit or can I go direct to the one which just scans my passport? Did the face / fingers prints last month.
always used to be the case that you turn up at the appointed time you're good. if you're early and there's space they'll take you anyway.
huh. sure i quoted - teaandbiscuits
Do I need to do the finger print machine every visit or can I go direct to the one which just scans my passport? Did the face / fingers prints last month
I did face and fingerprints last month in Verona
Arrived at Geneva last week, went to the EES machine but it only scanned my passport.
Went to the manned desk after that and they took my fingerprints
Conversely my travel companion was doing EES for the first time so the initial machine that only wanted my passport scan took his fingerprints and scanned his passport
Is there 2 queues at airports? One for us Brits and one for EU folk. Only asking as my son is flying out of Edinburgh next week back to Ireland, on an Irish passport, so trying to suss this out. Uk-Ireland doesn’t require the new EE system anyway but will he maybe get caught up in the queues caused by it?
always used to be the case that you turn up at the appointed time you're good
Good old days. MrsJ rang up Aegean to ask when their bag drop opens and if it’s possible to drop the night before for an early flight. They said no, opens 2 hours before. But allow 2 1/2 hours for security and passport. Tbf they did acknowledge the contradiction but had no solution.
MrsJ has an EU passport so she’ll drop the bag while I queue for the Brexit Benefit.
On the way in there was no queue, no facial scan, no fingerprints, just a booth where they looked at my passport but didn’t stamp it. Seems totally random.
15 minute queue to get through EES at Geneva today. No issues at all
Been through quite a few times. Only issue I had was doing first registration in December when arriving at Przemyśl on way back from visiting Lviv, and hoping to catch the last train of the day to Krakow not long after. I watched it leave from the queue 😫
I can’t recall my last few trips apart from Szczecin the other week, there was only one passport queue and folk got asked to register if they hadn’t already which took some time. I assume this means that as time goes on, queuing should get quicker as more folk will have registered.
The UK has never been in Schengen
Oh. I thought we were, seeing as I thought we were full members of the EU, but then, I never paid too much attention to the finer details of the subject. 🤷🏼♂️
Right, I’m confused. Since EES started I’ve been to Geneva, Milan & Madrid. On arrival, despite having already had my details I’ve had to join both queues all times on entry. So fingerprints/face recognition and then back in the queue for verification. Thought I only needed the latter after initial registration. There was no physical way I could have joined the second queue straight away.
My thoughts on the process after seeing humans trying to operate machines.
The passport viewer needs to physically take the passport and load it itself. So many people just can’t take instructions. It’s so frustrating watching people trying to scan the wrong side, removing too early or showing it their boarding passes.
Most EES machines seem to be unserviceable. Probably the biggest weakness of the system. No engineer out to diagnose. Frustrating to see a bank of machines with only a couple working.
I think the OPs post is regarding Milan Lenate. Quite possibly the worst airport I’ve been too. Once your gate is called you then get asked to join a queue with 5 other flights where there’s 6/7 EES machines but only 1 or 2 actually working. Then no humans to seemingly take up the slack. No idea why it’s not done after security control. Madrid took 10 mins to clear EES controls.
Since EES started I’ve been to Geneva, Milan & Madrid. On arrival, despite having already had my details I’ve had to join both queues all times on entry.
Three different countries. I assumed each had to register your details.
I have been to Wales twice in the last few weeks, two lovely weeks of holiday and no problem with the border, we just drove straight through!
Oh. I thought we were, seeing as I thought we were full members of the EU....
EU ≠ Schengen zone
If the EES machines are anything like the self scanner checkouts at the supermarket, they’ll need someone to clean the screens with an atomiser of spirit vinegar.
