Prague Airport quietly flipped the switch on an important upgrade to its automated border-control system last week, and the news was confirmed on 22 May by travel-technology outlet iVisa. Non-EU travellers from the United Kingdom, Japan, Taiwan and South Korea—four of the airport’s fastest-growing long-haul markets—may now use the self-service eGate corridors when departing the Schengen zone, provided they are at least 15 years old and hold a biometric passport. Until now the system, installed in 2024, was reserved for EU, EEA and Swiss passport holders. Expansion became possible only after the EU-wide Entry/Exit System (EES) went live in April 2026, forcing Prague Airport to integrate new biometric and watch-list functions. Airport board member for security Martin Kučera said the move will “take pressure off manual booths right before the peak summer exodus,” noting that British leisure traffic alone is projected to exceed 900,000 passengers this year. For corporate mobility teams the change offers a clear time-saver: average manual passport-control queues at Terminal 1 can top 25 minutes at peak, whereas eGate processing averages under 40 seconds.
![eGates at Prague Airport now open to UK, Japanese, Taiwanese and South Korean citizens]()
Before they brief travellers, mobility coordinators may want a quick health-check on visa validity. Online specialist VisaHQ offers up-to-date Czech entry guidance, application support and document couriering via its country page (https://www.visahq.com/czech-republic/), helping companies align eGate eligibility with the correct visa status in one dashboard.
Travel managers should update pre-trip briefings to ensure eligible employees know the location of the eGate channel, understand biometric-passport requirements and are prepared for random secondary checks mandated by EU rules. The expansion also serves as a pilot for further third-country inclusions. Czech Border Police officials told local media that talks are underway to add citizens of the United States, Canada and Singapore before Christmas if performance metrics remain positive. A wider roll-out would embed Prague more firmly in the network of European hubs competing on fast-track passenger experience—a differentiator in the battle for lucrative long-haul connections. Critically, the new privilege applies only to departures. Arriving travellers from the four newly admitted countries will still line up for manual checks until separate “arrival eGates” pass operational testing later this year. Assignees relocating to Czech offices should therefore continue to plan for longer inbound clearance times.
Before they brief travellers, mobility coordinators may want a quick health-check on visa validity. Online specialist VisaHQ offers up-to-date Czech entry guidance, application support and document couriering via its country page (https://www.visahq.com/czech-republic/), helping companies align eGate eligibility with the correct visa status in one dashboard.
Travel managers should update pre-trip briefings to ensure eligible employees know the location of the eGate channel, understand biometric-passport requirements and are prepared for random secondary checks mandated by EU rules. The expansion also serves as a pilot for further third-country inclusions. Czech Border Police officials told local media that talks are underway to add citizens of the United States, Canada and Singapore before Christmas if performance metrics remain positive. A wider roll-out would embed Prague more firmly in the network of European hubs competing on fast-track passenger experience—a differentiator in the battle for lucrative long-haul connections. Critically, the new privilege applies only to departures. Arriving travellers from the four newly admitted countries will still line up for manual checks until separate “arrival eGates” pass operational testing later this year. Assignees relocating to Czech offices should therefore continue to plan for longer inbound clearance times.
