If you’ve been reading about Europe’s new Entry/Exit System (EES), you may be wondering if it’s going to make arriving in Europe a hassle.
I recently flew into Vienna to board Riverside Mozart, and honestly, if I hadn’t known the EES was rolling out, I probably wouldn’t have even noticed.
After landing, we followed the usual signs to passport control. The biggest difference was that I was asked to have my photo taken and my fingerprints scanned. The whole process was straightforward and easy.
Did it take a little longer than usual? Yes.
Did it noticeably delay our entry into Europe? Not really.
What is EES?
The Entry/Exit System (EES) is the European Union’s new digital border system for travelers from countries that don’t require a visa for short stays, including the United States.
Instead of stamping your passport, border officials create a digital record of your entry and exit. The first time you use the system, you’ll typically have your photo taken and provide fingerprints. Future entries should be quicker since your information is already on file. They did not take my fingerprints upon exit from the EU, just a photo.
What does this mean for river cruise travelers?
For most river cruise guests, not much.
If you’re flying into Europe before your cruise, you’ll likely complete the EES process when you first arrive. Just follow the signs for the baggage claim or exit. After that, your vacation continues as normal.
The biggest thing I’d recommend is allowing yourself a little extra patience when you first land. Our arrival in Vienna took slightly longer than I remember from previous trips, but not enough to cause any stress. We were still through customs and on our way into the city without any significant delays.
Like most new travel procedures, the EES might feel unfamiliar the first time you experience it. After going through it myself, I don’t think it’s something travelers need to worry about.
If anything, it was just another reminder that travel keeps evolving. In the grand scheme of a European vacation, the EES was a pretty small speed bump.
3 Responses
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Thank you, in advance for a clarification.
Ralph,
I flew into CDG on May 9, arriving at 1030 am. When I went through passport control it was not very busy. However they did not allow me to register for EES. They checked my passport, but they didn’t stamp it. I assume this is because I am 81 years old with white hair. I was concerned that I would have issues when flying into Madrid from CDG later that month. That too was not a problem. The following day I flew home from Madrid to SFO via Zurich. I only had a 50 minute connection in Zurich, and I had to go through passport control there. There were at least 500-750 people in line backed up trying to get through the initial processing station. Then we all had to take a tram to the next stop. Another long line, but it moved quickly. Finally after getting through all the controls I ran to my gate, where I had to get in line for another stamp on my boarding pass. I then learned that they were delaying boarding because everyone had the same passport control issues. The flight got into SFO more or less on time. I guess I will have to register for EES next year, when hopefully the process will go more smoothly.
Bob Brown