British and US nationals who hold French residency cards had hoped that 2026 would finally bring relief from the long ‘non-EU’ queues at France’s busiest airports. Instead, the Parafe e-gates that once sped them through passport control remain firmly out of bounds.
On 2 February the English-language daily The Connexion confirmed that software and regulatory upgrades intended to link Parafe gates to the EU’s new Entry/Exit System (EES) have fallen behind schedule. Airport authority UAF admits that the retrofit is proving “more complicated than expected”, and industry sources now say residents should not expect access before the summer. (connexionfrance.com)
Until October 2025, Charles-de-Gaulle, Orly, Nice and other major hubs allowed some third-country residents—including Britons covered by the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement and Americans with cartes de séjour—to use Parafe lanes, shaving 20-40 minutes off arrival times. EES, however, requires first-time biometric enrolment at a manual booth or kiosk and the French interior ministry temporarily suspended non-EU use of the gates pending an IT overhaul.
![Technical delays keep Parafe e-gates closed to British & American residents in France]()
Travel managers looking for additional support while the tech upgrade plays out can turn to VisaHQ. The company’s France portal (https://www.visahq.com/france/) offers real-time guidance on residence permits, EES registration, fast-track services and other travel-document essentials, helping both firms and individuals avoid unpleasant surprises at the border.
That suspension is colliding with the phased ramp-up of EES. Since 9 January, French border police must biometrically register at least 35 % of eligible passengers; on 10 April the target jumps to 100 %. With many pre-registration kiosks also offline, guards in Paris and the Riviera report queues stretching well over an hour at peak times.
For corporate mobility managers the message is clear: brief assignees and frequent travellers to allow generous buffers when entering or leaving France, and to expect repeat biometric capture even if they believe they are already enrolled. Airlines’ fast-track services and paid meet-and-assist packages may be worth the extra cost until Parafe access is restored.
On 2 February the English-language daily The Connexion confirmed that software and regulatory upgrades intended to link Parafe gates to the EU’s new Entry/Exit System (EES) have fallen behind schedule. Airport authority UAF admits that the retrofit is proving “more complicated than expected”, and industry sources now say residents should not expect access before the summer. (connexionfrance.com)
Until October 2025, Charles-de-Gaulle, Orly, Nice and other major hubs allowed some third-country residents—including Britons covered by the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement and Americans with cartes de séjour—to use Parafe lanes, shaving 20-40 minutes off arrival times. EES, however, requires first-time biometric enrolment at a manual booth or kiosk and the French interior ministry temporarily suspended non-EU use of the gates pending an IT overhaul.
Travel managers looking for additional support while the tech upgrade plays out can turn to VisaHQ. The company’s France portal (https://www.visahq.com/france/) offers real-time guidance on residence permits, EES registration, fast-track services and other travel-document essentials, helping both firms and individuals avoid unpleasant surprises at the border.
That suspension is colliding with the phased ramp-up of EES. Since 9 January, French border police must biometrically register at least 35 % of eligible passengers; on 10 April the target jumps to 100 %. With many pre-registration kiosks also offline, guards in Paris and the Riviera report queues stretching well over an hour at peak times.
For corporate mobility managers the message is clear: brief assignees and frequent travellers to allow generous buffers when entering or leaving France, and to expect repeat biometric capture even if they believe they are already enrolled. Airlines’ fast-track services and paid meet-and-assist packages may be worth the extra cost until Parafe access is restored.
