The European Union’s new Entry/Exit System (EES) is still in trial mode, but the Christmas travel rush exposed glaring weaknesses. On Saturday, December 27, passengers at Málaga Airport posted photos of two-hour passport-control lines; similar complaints came from Berlin, Lisbon—and Paris-Charles-de-Gaulle, where only half of the biometric kiosks were operational according to the airport authority.
EES requires non-EU travellers to submit fingerprints and a facial image the first time they enter or leave Schengen. French border police told airline operators that registration kiosks handled roughly 55 passengers per hour—well below the 120 per-hour target—because travellers struggled with multi-language screens and officers had to intervene frequently. The Interior Ministry has already postponed full deployment at CDG and Orly until after the February ski peak, yet trial processing remains mandatory for selected flights from the US, UK and Canada.
![EES Trial Triggers Holiday-Weekend Queues at French and Other EU Airports]()
If your organization needs hands-on help navigating Schengen visa paperwork or pre-travel compliance questions related to EES, VisaHQ’s online portal and customer-support team can streamline the process—from document checks to courier service for French consular applications—so employees arrive prepared and avoid kiosk surprises (see https://www.visahq.com/france/ for details).
Airport operator Groupe ADP said additional staff would be redeployed from retail areas during peak arrival waves, and existing PARAFE e-gates will be retrofitted with fingerprint pads in January. Airlines have started messaging customers to arrive four hours before departure; Air France warned corporate account holders that missed flights due to EES delays will not be rebooked free of charge.
For mobility and travel managers, the lesson is clear: budget more dwell time into itineraries, especially for first-time entrants on short-term business visas. Companies should brief travellers on kiosk procedures, carry printed hotel confirmations (often requested as part of the EES questionnaire) and consider priority-lane add-ons where available.
EES requires non-EU travellers to submit fingerprints and a facial image the first time they enter or leave Schengen. French border police told airline operators that registration kiosks handled roughly 55 passengers per hour—well below the 120 per-hour target—because travellers struggled with multi-language screens and officers had to intervene frequently. The Interior Ministry has already postponed full deployment at CDG and Orly until after the February ski peak, yet trial processing remains mandatory for selected flights from the US, UK and Canada.
If your organization needs hands-on help navigating Schengen visa paperwork or pre-travel compliance questions related to EES, VisaHQ’s online portal and customer-support team can streamline the process—from document checks to courier service for French consular applications—so employees arrive prepared and avoid kiosk surprises (see https://www.visahq.com/france/ for details).
Airport operator Groupe ADP said additional staff would be redeployed from retail areas during peak arrival waves, and existing PARAFE e-gates will be retrofitted with fingerprint pads in January. Airlines have started messaging customers to arrive four hours before departure; Air France warned corporate account holders that missed flights due to EES delays will not be rebooked free of charge.
For mobility and travel managers, the lesson is clear: budget more dwell time into itineraries, especially for first-time entrants on short-term business visas. Companies should brief travellers on kiosk procedures, carry printed hotel confirmations (often requested as part of the EES questionnaire) and consider priority-lane add-ons where available.
