EU postpones full biometric rollout

user1977

Maybe in time they will realise that people are already registered and can avoid the registration machines.

As I said above this was similar to my experience on departing Madrid - more baffling was that when I had arrived, we had been left to decide for ourselves whether we needed to visit the registration terminals.

eskbanker

What I don't understand is why airports haven't taken advantage of the suspension of the rollout, particularly when they have a massive queue build up

My understanding remains that the rollout hasn't actually been suspended or postponed as such, in that it's very much still continuing, but that selective suspension remains permissible for a longer period, i.e. "countries can partially suspend EES operations where necessary over the summer" rather than being compelled to be 100% up and running by next month.

daveyjp

Arrived at Palma today. Directed towards registration, told staff we were already registered. Directed towards egates which worked. Stamp in passport.

From landing, waiting to disembark, bus to terminal, egates and taxi queue just 25 minutes.

Doshwaster

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81921862#Comment_81921862

I don't quite understand why if you are registered with EES and can use the e-gates then why you still get passport stamps. I thought one of the the purposes of the new system was to remove the need for stamps.

martindow

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81921876#Comment_81921876

The idea is to get rid of passport stamping, but until everyone has EES up and running it will be necessary to keep stamping passports.

stoneman

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81900178#Comment_81900178

Ah but there you are not correct. If you know how to do it (and have the nerve) after the first time you do it and have all the info entered, the subsequent times on entry and exit just go with the EU queue to the eGates, we've done this 3 times at BCN with no problems at all.

la531983

Yeah I cant see that approach going well at every single airport so good luck if you decide to take that approach elsewhere.

Doshwaster

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81921900#Comment_81921900

Makes sense but when you consider the number of airports, seaports and land crossings in Schengenland, it's going to take many months - if not years - to implement, so until then we have a double system of biometric checks and passport stamps which is just going to cause more delays and confusion.

borders

Lanzarote last month. Arrival was the quickest I've got through an airport. Departure was a two hour delay getting through the gate as we all waited to scan our passports again. Four terminals for two gates.

We had already scanned our passports before the gates at a bank of terminals in the departure area but we needed to do it twice.