French anglophone newspaper The Connexion updated its practical explainer on 23 October 2025—eleven days after EES went live—to spell out exactly who needs to register. Millions of third-country nationals who enter France visa-free (including Britons and Americans) must give fingerprints and a facial scan at their first Schengen entry after 12 October. Holders of French residency cards and long-stay ‘D’ visas are exempt, as are children under 12.
The article flags a key point for business travellers: registration can occur at any external Schengen frontier, not necessarily in France. A U.S. executive connecting through Amsterdam Schiphol will have her biometrics captured there and then breeze through French airports on subsequent trips.
Airports, ferry ports and Eurostar terminals were still operating in “mixed mode” on 23 October—manual stamps for some, kiosks for others—creating confusion. Paris-CDG reported average first-time EES processing times of 32 minutes during the morning peak, well above the pre-roll-out simulation of 20 minutes.
Employers moving staff to France are advised to budget extra travel time in Q4 2025 and to brief frequent flyers on kiosk procedures (scan passport, four fingerprints, face capture, receipt print-out). Failure to complete first-time registration will result in denial of entry.
The article flags a key point for business travellers: registration can occur at any external Schengen frontier, not necessarily in France. A U.S. executive connecting through Amsterdam Schiphol will have her biometrics captured there and then breeze through French airports on subsequent trips.
Airports, ferry ports and Eurostar terminals were still operating in “mixed mode” on 23 October—manual stamps for some, kiosks for others—creating confusion. Paris-CDG reported average first-time EES processing times of 32 minutes during the morning peak, well above the pre-roll-out simulation of 20 minutes.
Employers moving staff to France are advised to budget extra travel time in Q4 2025 and to brief frequent flyers on kiosk procedures (scan passport, four fingerprints, face capture, receipt print-out). Failure to complete first-time registration will result in denial of entry.
